Legend in the Making
by cjgirl8590
Summary: Kira Oak wants to step out of the shadow of her grandfather, Samuel Oak. When she and her twin brother Gary decide to start their Pokemon journeys, Kira sees an opportunity to discover who she really is. What else will she discover along the way?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I do not own Pokemon. Really wish I did, but I just own the OC Kira. I tried to keep an even balance between the anime and something resembling real life.**

Pokemon Adventures: Indigo League

Legend in the Making

Chapter 1

The big day had finally arrived. The sun rose over the small town of Pallet, waking up the Dodrio perched on top of the town center. As it's three cries rang through the air, the citizens of Pallet began starting their day.

One household was already awake. As the sunlight poured over the Oak Pokemon Preserve, Gary Oak walked into the kitchen of their family home. His twin sister, Kira, was already sitting at the table, a plate of bacon and eggs in front of her.

Kira glanced up as her brother walked in. "Breakfast is on the stove," she announced.

"Thanks."

"Couldn't sleep?"

Gary shook his head as he poured himself a glass of orange juice. "Nope. You?"

Kira shrugged. "Me, neither. I'm too excited."

"Tell me about it. I can't believe it's finally here," Gary said as he sat down.

Kira leaned back in her chair. "It's our big day, Gary. We're finally going to be real Pokemon Trainers."

Gary nodded. "I can't wait to start. I'm going to catch every Pokemon and collect all of the Gym Badges, then compete in the Pokemon League. After I win, I'll come back and help Grandpa with his research."

Kira held up her hands. "Slow down, big brother. It's okay to have big dreams, but why are you in such a hurry?"

"I'm just ready to get going. We've waited so long for this. Plus, there's this kid in town. He's claiming he's going to be the best Pokemon Trainer in the world. I want to show him what real talent looks like."

Kira rolled her eyes. Even though Gary was technically older than her since he was born a few minutes earlier, he often acted much younger than his seventeen years. "Seriously, Gary? How old are you, ten?" She shook her head. "What's his name?"

"Ash Ketchum. He's been going on for weeks about getting his first Pokemon today."

Once a year, three kids aged ten and up from the town came to the twins' grandfather, Professor Samuel Oak, to receive their first Pokemon. Gary and Kira had just turned seventeen. They had spent the last seven years studying Pokemon with their grandfather, who was one of the foremost Pokemon researchers in the world. They were finally starting their Pokemon journey today.

The twins' conversation was interrupted as their grandfather walked into the kitchen. "Good morning, kids. You're up early."

"Morning, Grandpa." Kira got up to give her grandfather a hug, then poured him a cup of coffee while he fixed a plate of food. "We were too excited to sleep."

Professor Oak sat down at the head of the table. "With good reason. You two have been training for this for years." He sipped the coffee Kira set next to his plate. "I just want you both to know I'm proud of you. You both have worked hard for this, and I know you're going to be excellent Trainers." He picked up his fork. "But let's not talk about your journey just now. Let's just enjoy breakfast together."

The three ate breakfast, enjoying one of the last times they would be together as a family before going their separate ways. Because Gary and Kira had been together since the day of their birth, they had decided to go on separate journeys, each at their own pace. Professor Oak would remain at his lab here in Pallet Town.

At nine o'clock, a young girl named May arrived to receive her license and Pokemon. Professor Oak waited for a few minutes, as though he was expecting someone else to show up, but no one else came. At ten minutes past nine, he led the three kids into his lab, where three Poke Balls waited on a pedestal. Professor Oak looked at the new Trainers. "Alright, we'll start with the oldest," he said, nodding to his grandson.

Gary stepped up to the pedestal. "It took me a long time to decide, Grandpa, but I'll take Squirtle." He picked up a Poke Ball and pressed the button. There was a brief flash of light, then a small blue turtle Pokemon appeared in front of him.

"Squirtle, squirt!" it said, looking up at Gary. He smiled at his Pokemon and pressed the button on the Poke Ball again. A red beam shot out of the Ball. As soon as it hit Squirtle, he dissolved into red light and disappeared into the Poke Ball.

Professor Oak looked at his granddaughter as Gary stepped aside. "Kira, you're next."

Kira stepped up. This was it. A moment seventeen years in the making. She was getting her first Pokemon that was entirely her own. Not her grandfather's. Not her brother's. Hers.

She looked at Professor Oak. "I didn't have to think about it. I've always known which one I wanted." She picked up a Poke Ball. "I choose Charmander."

She opened the Poke Ball. There was another flash of light, and a small orange dinosaur with a flaming tail appeared in front of her. Kira had always loved Fire-type Pokemon, and Charmander was one of her favorites.

"Charmander!" it said happily as it looked around. Kira knelt in front of him and held out her arms. The Charmander looked at her for a moment, then gave a happy cry and leapt into her arms. Kira laughed and hugged her new friend, then moved out of the way. While she got to know her new Pokemon, May met her first Pokemon, Bulbasaur, a Plant-type Pokemon. After giving the kids and Pokemon a few minutes to get acquainted, Professor Oak stepped forward and got their attention.

"Now that you all have your Pokemon, it's time to begin your Pokemon journey. Viridian City is less than a day's walk from here, and there are plenty of Pokemon between here and there that you can catch and learn about. Battling with wild Pokemon or other Trainers will make your Pokemon stronger, however, be careful not to wear out your Pokemon." He held up three red electronic devices. "These Pokedexs will help you along your journey. They will tell you about all of the Pokemon you meet, as well as give you advice from time to time. They also function as your Trainer Identification."

He handed a Pokedex to each kid, along with half a dozen empty Poke Balls. "You'll also need these. Poke Balls are available at just about any Pokemon shop. As you journey, you may find different types of Poke Balls are available in different cities. Some work better than others against certain Pokemon, so you'll have to learn what works best for you.

"Trainers can only use six Pokemon at a time in battle. When you've caught a seventh Pokemon, you can choose to send one back here. Using your Pokedex, you can choose to program your Poke Balls to automatically be teleported here. I'll take good care of any Pokemon you send me. You can exchange your Pokemon at any Pokemon Center, or with these white buttons here on your Pokedex." He held up another Pokedex and indicated the correct buttons. "Any questions?"

May held up a hand. "What if we choose to hang onto our new Pokemon?"

"You may carry as many Pokemon with you as you choose, however, according to League Rules, you can only use a maximum of six Pokemon in an official Trainer battle. Gym battles have their own unique sets of rules set by the Gym Leader, so you may find yourself fighting with fewer Pokemon. Any other questions?"

The kids didn't have any more questions, so May went home to get ready for her journey. Gary and Kira brought their gear down to the kitchen and began packing. It was going to be a long journey, so they had to make sure to bring the right equipment while still keeping their packs fairly light. Gary was in a hurry, as usual, so as soon as he was ready, he said goodbye to his sister and grandfather and left.

Kira was still packing, her things spread out on the kitchen table. Professor Oak came over to help her. He loved both of his grandchildren, but Kira had always been special to him, although he'd never admit out loud that she was his favorite. "Now you're sure you've got everything?"

Kira nodded and opened her bag to start putting things in. "I think so."

"Sleeping bag?"

"Right here." Kira strapped the sleeping bag to the bottom of the pack.

"Extra clothes?"

Kira tucked a bundle of clothes in the bottom of the bag. "Check."

"Food and water?"

A small insulated pack of food went into the backpack, followed by a pack of Pokemon food. "Got 'em," she said as she clipped a small canteen to the side of the pack.

"Flashlight? Map? Rope?"

Kira slipped the items into the pockets on the outside of the pack. "Check, check, and check."

Professor Oak thought for a moment. "A jacket?"

"Wrapped around my sleeping bag." Kira patted the bundle.

"And you have your Pokedex and Poke Balls, right?"

Kira lifted the bottom of her shirt enough to show the Poke Balls clipped to her belt. "Yup. I have extra Poke Balls in my bag, and my Pokedex is in my back pocket." She dropped a travel mug, some utensils, and a tiny pot and pan into the bag, then tucked a marker, some small labels, and a pocket knife into the outer pockets. Professor Oak handed her a small first aid kit. Kira tucked it in the pack, then closed the bag.

She turned to her grandfather. "I think that's everything."

Professor Oak gathered her in his arms. "You be careful out there, Kar-Bear," he said, using his pet name for her.

"I will, Grandpa."

"And call me when you get to Viridian City."

"I will."

"And don't forget, if you need more Poke Balls or potions, call me and I'll send some."

"I'll remember, Grandpa."

He held her at arms' length. "I'm so proud of you, Kira. I know you'll be a success."

Kira stood a little straighter. "Thank you, Grandpa. I'll do my best."

"I know you will, dear. I love you."

"I love you, too, Grandpa."

Professor Oak followed her out to the end of the driveway, where a small crowd was gathered. Gary was just leaving. He waved from his place in the back of a red convertible, and the crowd followed him as he rode away, leaving Professor Oak, Kira, and a young boy.

Kira glanced at the boy. He was about ten years old, with black hair and brown eyes. He was still dressed in his pajamas. As soon as he saw Professor Oak, he ran and stood eagerly in front of him. "Professor Oak! Where's my Pokemon?"

This must be Ash, Kira thought. He didn't look like much. He hadn't shown up to get a Pokemon that morning, even though he supposedly really wanted one. If he wanted one that badly, he should have been on time that morning. Still, Kira hoped her grandfather would be able to help him.

Kira waved goodbye to her grandfather and walked down the main road, putting Ash out of her mind. Soon, she had left Pallet Town behind and entered a meadow. After a few minutes, she stopped and took out Charmander's Poke Ball. She pressed the button and released him. Charmander appeared in front of her, looking around and blinking in the bright sunlight. He spied Kira and cried happily as he jumped up and down.

Kira laughed and knelt in front of him. Years of working with Pokemon had taught her to understand them pretty well. "I'm happy to see you, too, buddy. You wanna stay out here and walk with me for a while?"

"Charmander, char?"

"We're going to see if we can find some new friends. Ready?"

"Char!" Charmander jumped around in a circle, then fell into step beside Kira. The pair had been walking for about an hour, Charmander happily hopping alongside his Trainer, when suddenly he stopped and stood still.

Kira turned and watched him. "What is it? Do you hear something?"

Charmander nodded. He was staring at the brush along the side of the road. Kira noticed the branches moving, although there was no wind. Charmander moved to stand in front of her as the rustling continued. A minute later, a Rattata hopped out of the bush. It spotted Kira and Charmander and turned to run.

Kira wasn't going to miss this opportunity. "Charmander, stop it! Use Ember!"

Charmander instantly went into action. He ran forward and waved his tail, sprinkling burning embers in front of Rattata, cutting off its escape. Rattata turned around, clearly confused. It bared its teeth and growled at Charmander.

"Weaken it with Tackle!"

Charmander ran toward the Rattata. Rattata tried to bite him, but he avoided the attack and hit the rodent with his shoulder, throwing Rattata off its feet. Rattata flipped a couple of times, then lay there, dazed.

Kira pulled a Poke Ball off of her belt and threw it. The ball sailed through the air and hit Rattata on the shoulder. Rattata instantly dissolved into red light and was pulled into the Poke Ball. The ball fell to the ground and sat wiggling as the Pokemon inside tried to get out. After a tense minute, the ball stopped moving and the button glowed red, showing her successful capture of Rattata.

"Yes!" Kira shouted. She had caught her first Pokemon! She ran over and picked up the ball, then turned and showed it to Charmander. "Charmander, you did it! That was awesome!" Charmander jumped up and down, mirroring her excitement.

Kira sat down under a tree. "Let's meet our new friend, huh?" Charmander settled down a little and stood next to her. Kira pressed the button on the Poke Ball and watched as Rattata appeared in front of her.

Rattata looked around in confusion. He turned around a couple of times, trying to get his bearings. Kira leaned forward and picked him up. Rattata squirmed and tried to get away, but Kira gently stroked and petted him, slowly calming him down. Once he stopped wriggling, she settled him in her lap.

Rattata sat calmly for a moment, then he noticed Charmander. He squealed and started scratching at Kira's arms, trying to get away. Kira managed to hold onto him with one hand and fished out Charmander's Poke Ball with the other. "Charmander, you'd better go back in your ball. Rattata is still scared of you."

Charmander's shoulders drooped, but he nodded and stood still as Kira pressed the button. Once he was out of sight, she loosened her hold on Rattata. "Is that better, buddy?" Rattata calmed down again now that his opponent was gone. Kira reached into her bag and took out some Pokemon food. "Here you go. I bet your hungry after that."

As Rattata ate, Kira reached into her backpack and took out a bottle of Super potion. The spray medicine would sting a little, so she sprayed it on her fingers, then gently rubbed it into Rattata's scratches. Once she was finished tending the Pokemon, she put him on the ground in front of her. "Okay, I'm going to bring Charmander back out now, but you don't have to be afraid of him. He wants to be your friend just like I do. Understand?"

Rattata stared at her for a moment, then squealed and nodded. Kira opened the Poke Ball. With a flash, Charmander appeared next to Rattata. Immediately, Charmander started jumping around. Rattata started squealing and backing away.

"Charmander," Kira said sternly. "You're scaring him again."

Charmander stopped jumping and looked at Rattata. Both Pokemon stared at each other for several moments, then Charmander slowly reached out a hand. Rattata looked at it, then back at Kira. Kira nodded to encourage him, and after a minute, Rattata pushed his head against Charmander's hand. Charmander took that as encouragement, and started jumping around again, excited that Rattata seemed to accept him.

His exuberance caused Rattata to start edging away again. Kira laughed and patted his head. "Yeah, he takes a little getting used to." She looked up as a flock of Pidgey flew overhead and landed nearby. "You think you're ready for a battle, Rattata?"

Rattata squealed and shook his head before turning and hiding in Kira's backpack. "We're going to have to work on that." She turned to Charmander. "What about you? Think you can take on a Pidgey?"

"Charmander!" The little dinosaur jumped eagerly in place.

Kira sighed. "You are way too energetic. I swear, we could probably power Grandpa's entire lab on you alone." She stood up. "Okay, let's go. Rattata," she turned to her wiggling backpack, "why don't you stay here and watch my bag? We'll be back in a few minutes."

Rattata poked his head out of the bag and squealed. Kira took that as a yes and started walking toward the flock of Pidgey. Charmander crept along beside her. When they got close enough, Kira peeked through the brush.

The Pidgey were calmly pecking at the ground. None of them were really paying attention to their surroundings. "Okay," Kira whispered, "now, we're not trying to get all of them. Just single out one, and bring it down long enough for me to capture it. Got it?"

Charmander nodded. "Char," he said quietly.

"Go ahead. But be careful."

Charmander jumped out of the brush and charged into the flock. The startled Pidgey squawked and called out as they started taking to the air. Several of them started kicking up sand and blowing it around with their Gust attacks. Soon, Kira couldn't see a thing through the cloud of dust and bird feathers. She could hear Charmander and the Pidgey fighting, but she couldn't tell if her Pokemon was alright.

Just as she was about to charge in to help, a column of fire shot out of the cloud. The Pidgey scattered, and the dust began to settle. As their angry cries faded into the distance, Kira looked around for Charmander. After a minute, she saw him sprawled on the ground.

"Charmander!" As she ran toward him, she noticed that he appeared to be struggling. When she got closer, she saw feathers sticking out from under him. He was laying on top of a Pidgey to keep it from flying away. Kira pulled out a Poke Ball. "Get ready, buddy! Now!"

At her command, Charmander jumped off of the Pidgey. As it rose into the air, Kira threw the Poke Ball. It hit Pidgey and opened, pulling it inside. As it fell to the ground, Kira knelt next to Charmander and watched the ball twitch. Another intense minute later, the button glowed and the ball stood still.

"Yes! Got him!" She picked up the Poke Ball and turned to Charmander. "You okay, buddy?"

Charmander was scratched up from the Pidgey's talons, but nodded anyway. "Mander."

"Let's go back to Rattata. I'll take care of your scratches and get you all some food and rest." She picked up Charmander and started walking back.

They got back to the spot where they'd left the backpack. As Kira set Charmander down, she saw Rattata's tail poking out of the bag. "Some guard you are, scaredy-mouse," she muttered. She sat down and pulled the bag toward her. Rattata squealed and tried to burrow further into the bag, but Kira pulled him out by his tail and took out the bottle of Super potion. "Okay, Charmander, you first."

Charmander obediently hopped over and sat in front of her. Kira sprayed the potion on his scratches and gently rubbed it in. While she worked, she said, "You used Flamethrower back there, didn't you?"

Charmander nodded. "Char, Charmander."

"Now that you've done it once, you think you'll be able to do it again?"

"Char."

"Well, you'll get plenty of practice before we get to Viridian City."

"Char?"

"Yup. There are plenty of Pokemon and plenty of daylight." She put down the Super potion." Okay, you're done. Now let's see if our new friend needs any." She picked up Pidgey's Poke Ball and pressed the button. The small bird appeared in front of her, cooing and standing proudly.

Kira reached out to touch him, but Pidgey back away. Charmander and Rattata sat and watched as she reached into her bag again and took out the bag of Pokemon food. She placed a handful in front of each of them, then held some in her hand and turned to Pidgey. "If you want some, come and get it."

Pidgey hesitated, but he was tired and hungry after the battle. He stepped just close enough to peck some food from Kira's hand, then backed away again. He repeated the motions several times, until Kira finally grabbed him when he came close enough. He kicked at her, but she pinned his wings down, keeping him from getting away.

"Oh, will you calm down? I just want to see if you need medicine," she said, holding him like a chicken. Her arms were getting scratched up from his talons, but she kept her grip. After several minutes of struggling, Pidgey realized he wasn't going anywhere and started to calm down.

"That's better." She quickly ran her hands over Pidgey's feathers, but found no injuries. She took out another small handful of food and held it in front of him. "Here."

Pidgey hesitantly pecked at the food, and Kira let her mind wander as she looked around. She was only a few miles from Pallet Town, and it was already after noon. She wondered where her brother was and how many Pokemon he'd caught. Knowing Gary and how much of a hurry he was in, he was probably already in Viridian City. She missed him already, but part of her also couldn't help feeling competitive.

A soft tickling on her hand jerked her attention back. Rattata had crept up and was trying to sneak Pidgey's food out of her hand. "You're not a rat, you're a pig," she said with a smile as she pushed him away. "You've already had enough. In fact, we should get going." She put Pidgey down and took out the Poke Balls. "Hmm. Charmander has already fought a couple of battles, so he could use a rest. Who's next?"

Pidgey stepped forward and cooed. Kira smiled. "Thanks for volunteering, Pidgey." She returned the other two Pokemon to their balls and picked up her backpack. "Let's go."

Pidgey flew into the air and settled on her shoulder, making Kira feel like a pirate as she got back on the road. For the rest of the day, she rotated her Pokemon every couple of battles. She ran into several more Rattata and Pidgey, as well as a couple of Pidgeotto, and managed to capture a Mankey and a Sandshrew along the way. Her Pokemon grew stronger and better with each battle. Charmander was still her favorite, but all four of the new ones had already carved out their own places in her heart.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

A sudden thunderstorm slowed them down, but by early evening, they had reached Viridian City. Kira put Rattata back in his Poke Ball and entered the city. As she walked down the street, she heard someone speaking over the city-wide PA system.

"Attention, citizens of Viridian City! Attention, citizens of Viridian City! We have reports of possible Pokemon thieves in our area. Be on the lookout for suspicious-looking strangers. Repeat, be on the lookout for suspicious-looking strangers."

As the announcement continued, Kira noticed a blue-haired young lady in a police uniform speaking into a microphone. She walked toward the small police station. "Excuse me?"

The woman put her microphone away and turned to Kira. "Can I help you, miss?"

"Can you give me some directions? I'm looking for the Pokemon Center."

The officer nodded. "Of course. But can I see some ID first? We've had reports of Pokemon thieves in the area."

"Um, ID..." Kira patted her pockets and found her Pokedex. "Here you go."

The officer took it and pressed a button. The Pokedex screen lit up and showed a picture of Kira. "I'm Dexter," it said, "a Pokedex programmed by Professor Oak for Pokemon Trainer Kira Oak of the town of Pallet. My function is to provide Kira with information and advice regarding Pokemon and their training. If lost or stolen, I cannot be replaced."

The officer looked up at Kira. "Pallet Town, huh? You know, you're the fourth person I've seen today from Pallet Town."

Kira's eyebrows went up. "The fourth? Wow, I'd better pick up the pace." She looked down the street. "So can you tell me how to get to the Pokemon Center?"

"Sure, just go straight on this road until you come to a big intersection, then turn left. The Pokemon Center will be straight ahead. You can't miss it. Should take you about twenty minutes on foot. And if you need anything, my name is Jenny."

"Thanks, Officer Jenny." Kira waved goodbye and started off. Jenny's directions were easy to follow, and Kira found the huge Pokemon center about half an hour later.

It was a little after 8pm when she walked into the building. Instead of seeing a nurse at the reception desk, she saw Professor Oak on a huge screen, talking to a vaguely familiar boy standing at the desk.

"Don't talk such nonsense," Professor Oak was saying. "You couldn't have seen this Pokemon." He pointed up. Kira followed his finger and saw a carving of a large bird Pokemon above the screen. "Trainers have searched their whole lives and never seen it."

"It sure looked like it," the boy said.

Now she recognized him. It was Ash, the boy she'd seen outside the lab that morning. He must have moved fast to get here before her.

"You must have been mistaken." Professor Oak crossed his arms, then saw Kira standing behind Ash. "Kira! How are you, dear? Come, come closer to the camera!"

Kira smiled and stepped closer as Ash turned around. "Hey, Grandpa! I just got here."

"Already at Viridian City? Wow, you four aren't wasting any time. Have you seen your brother?"

"No. Not since he left this morning. But the police officer who gave me directions said I was the fourth person she'd seen from Pallet, so I know he made it here. Knowing Gary, he probably decided to leave already." She held up her five Poke Balls. "I was going to call as soon as I got my Pokemon checked out."

Her grandfather leaned toward the camera. "Four new Pokemon? Excellent! What are they?"

"Pidgey, Rattata, Mankey, and Sandshrew."

"Well done, my dear! I knew you would make me proud! Oh, do you need any Poke Balls or medicine or food while you're there?"

Kira shook her head. "Nope, I'm good." She looked at Ash. "Ash, you need anything?"

Ash looked startled at being included. "Um, no."

"Alright." She looked back at the camera. "We're good, Grandpa. Thanks."

A doorbell rang in the background on Professor Oak's end. "Ah, there's my pizza. Coming!" He ran out of sight, then leaned back into the camera's view. "It was very nice talking to you, Ash, and good luck. Kira, keep up the good work! I love you!" He ducked back out of sight and the kids heard him say, "Mmm, anchovies, spinach, and pineapple pizza..."

Kira made a face as the camera went dark. As Ash went to go sit down, she pressed the buzzer on the counter. After a minute, a Chansey walked out of the back.

"Chansey?" it said as it approached her.

Kira held out her Poke Balls. "Can I get my Pokemon checked out, please?"

The Chansey nodded and set the Poke Balls on a tray, then disappeared into the back again. Kira turned to sit down, but she noticed that Ash looked upset.

She went over to stand by him. "Hey, Ash. Everything okay?" She noticed that his clothes were damp and looked a little singed.

Ash shook his head. "My Pikachu got hurt really bad, and it's all my fault. Now he's in the Critical Care Unit."

Kira sat down next to him. "Oh, Ash. I'm sorry. What happened?"

Ash looked at the floor. "I was trying to catch a Pidgey, but Pikachu wouldn't fight. I decided to do it myself, and threw a rock, but it turns out it was a Spearow, not a Pidgey. I hit it, and it got mad and started attacking. At first, it only attacked me, but then it started focusing on Pikachu. He wasn't even doing anything to it! We ran, but it called its friends and they chased us. We fell in the creek while running, but that didn't stop them. Pikachu was hurt, so I tried to protect him, but he jumped up and used his Thundershock. I think it took all the energy he had. I just barely got him here in time."

Ash hung his head and Kira put a hand on his shoulder. After giving him a minute to get his emotions under control, she squeezed his shoulder. "Listen to me, Ash. It's not your fault. Wild Spearow are known to have bad tempers. And facing an entire flock of them? That was really brave."

Ash looked up at her, a grateful look in his eye. He opened his mouth to say something, but an angry voice cut him off.

"Now I've got you!"

They both jumped and turned to see a young red-haired girl standing in the doorway. She was carrying a heap of twisted metal that looked like it might have been a bicycle once. She was panting and looked at Ash with fiery eyes.

"I knew I'd find you here," she said.

Ash pointed at the heap of metal. "Hey, what happened to your bike?"

"What happened to my bike?" the girl asked sarcastically. "You happened to my bike, you little loser! This is what's left after you stole it to save your Pokemon!" She took a step forward. "Now I can see why your Pokemon is in the-" As she took another step, she lost her balance and fell backward.

Ash and Kira hurried over to her. "Here, let me help you," Ash said.

The girl was rubbing the back of her head, but she slapped his hand away. "I don't need your help! And you're going to pay for what you did to my bike!"

Ash hung his head again. "I'll make it up to you. I promise I will, really." He turned to look at the door to the treatment rooms as Kira helped the girl to her feet. "But I can't do anything about your bike until-"

The girl pulled away from Kira and held up a fist. "Oooh, I don't want any of your lame excuses, kid! I just want a new bike right now!" she yelled.

Kira grabbed the girl's shoulder. "Hey, give him a break."

"It's my Pikachu," Ash said, looking at the floor. "My Pikachu's not too good."

The girl's fist dropped as he looked at the door again. "Is it very serious?" she asked gently.

"I think so," Ash answered. "And there's nothing I can do to help now."

"Oh. I'm sorry," the girl said.

Ash nodded and went to sit down again. Kira looked at the red-head. "I'm Kira, by the way."

"Misty. Are you a friend of his?"

"Sort of. Ash and I are from the same town. I just got here a little while ago to get my Pokemon checked out."

Just then, the red light over the treatment room door went out. A moment later, the doors slid open. Ash looked up and hurried over as the nurse and a couple of Chansey wheeled his Pikachu out on a stretcher. Kira and Misty followed him.

"Pikachu! Are you alright?" he said as soon as he got there. Pikachu was hooked up to a couple of machines and had his eyes closed.

"Your Pikachu's resting," the nurse said. "It's a good thing you got it here so fast. The procedure went well, and it should be fine."

"Thanks to the Pokemon Center," Misty said.

One of the Chansey approached Kira with a tray. Her Poke Balls were lined up neatly on it. "Oh, thank you," she said, collecting the balls and clipping them to her belt.

"Yes, thank you very much," Ash echoed.

"Now your Pokemon needs a good rest in the recovery room." The nurse looked kindly at Ash. "You should go in with it, Ash."

Ash nodded. "Thanks." He turned to Misty. "Listen, I'm sorry about your bike, but I'm gonna need some time to make things right."

"No way! I fell for that last time," she yelled back. At the stern look Nurse Joy gave her, she calmed down and glanced at Pikachu. "Well, you should take care of Pikachu now, and we'll settle up later."

"Uh, okay," Ash said.

Suddenly, an alarm started going off. The three kids and the nurse looked up as Officer Jenny's voice started coming from speakers mounted on the ceiling.

"Your attention, please! Our Viridian City radar sensors have detected an aircraft belonging to a gang of Pokemon thieves! If you have a Pokemon in your possession, exercise extreme caution!"

As the announcement started repeating, the skylight in the roof shattered. As she covered her face against the flying glass, Kira saw two Poke Balls fall into the room. As soon as they hit the ground, they opened, releasing an Ekans and a Koffing. The Koffing immediately started using its Smog attack to fill the room with smoke.

Misty coughed as Ash and Kira looked around the room in alarm. "What are- who are they?" Ash asked.

Two figures appeared in the smoke. "Don't be frightened, little boy," a female voice said.

A man's voice followed. "Allow us to introduce ourselves."

The smoke cleared enough for them to see. They wore matching outfits, white uniforms with a large red "R" on the front. The woman had long pink hair and was surprisingly pretty, while the man's blue hair hung just above his shoulders, framing a handsome face. The woman crossed her arms. "To protect the world from devastation..."

"To unite all peoples within our nation..." The man said, holding up a rose.

They continued alternating as they spoke. "To denounce the evils of truth and love..."

"To extend our reach to the stars above..."

The woman held up a hand. "Jessie!"

The man lowered his rose. "James!"

"Team Rocket! Blast off at the speed of light!"

"Surrender now or prepare to fight!"

A Meowth dropped from the hole in the ceiling and landed between the thieves. "Meowth! That's right!"

The two groups stared at each other. "What are you talking about?" Ash asked.

"And did that Meowth just speak?" Kira added.

The woman, Jessie, put her hands on her hips. "He just doesn't get it, does he?"

Ash held up his hands. "How can I? You don't make any sense."

James stepped forward. "We're here for the Pokemon."

Ash hunched protectively over Pikachu as Kira pulled out a Poke Ball. "You're not getting Pikachu!" he yelled.

"Pikachu?" Jessie scoffed. "We're not interested in your precious electric rat."

"We seek only rare and valuable Pokemon," James said.

Nurse Joy spoke up. "You're wasting your time. This is a center for weak and injured Pokemon."

"Well, that may be so," Jessie said, "but I wouldn't be at all surprised if we find a few little Pokemon gems among all the junk."

Kira gripped her Poke Ball harder. "Get out of here while you can. You're starting to bug me."

Jessie rolled her eyes. "Isn't that cute?"

"The girl's bugged," James agreed.

The Meowth at their feet took a step forward. Kira noticed that it walked on two feet instead of four. "Meowth! Then let's squash them!"

The Team Rocket team pointed at them. "Koffing, attack!"

"Ekans, go!"

"Move!" Kira grabbed Misty and Ash as the Pokemon charged. Nurse Joy pushed Pikachu's stretcher and the group got out of the way just in time. The thieves' Pokemon crashed into the reception desk, scattering splinters and computer parts everywhere.

The kids followed Nurse Joy down a couple of hallways and into a large room. Shelves lined with dozens of Poke Balls filled the room. As Joy locked the door, the lights overhead flickered and went out.

"Hey, the lights!" Misty said.

"They must have cut the power," Kira said.

Nurse Joy smiled. "It's a good thing we have our own Pika-power source!"

"Pika-power?" Ash asked.

Joy pointed to a machine on the other side of the room, where at least ten Pikachu were running on a small circular treadmill. Each one was holding the tail of the one in front of it, and sparks were flying from their fur. The bolts leapt to a metal ball in the center of the treadmill.

Misty pressed her hands against the safety glass as the lights flickered back on. "Wow! Look at all the Pikachu!"

Behind them, a computer turned on. "A crisis situation has arisen," a computerized voice said. "Initiating emergency Poke Ball transport sequence."

"We have to save these Poke Balls," Joy explained.

Mechanical arms began grabbing the Poke Balls from the shelves and dropping them onto a conveyor belt. Joy sat down at the computer and started typing. "This is the Viridian City Pokemon Center," she said into the microphone. "We have an emergency situation. Transporting Poke Balls!"

A voice came through the computer. "This is the Pewter City Pokemon Center. Transporter activated. Ready to receive Poke Balls." Immediately, the conveyor belt started moving. One by one, the Poke Balls were transported to the safety of the Pewter City Pokemon Center.

Suddenly, the door was blasted inward. Koffing plowed its way into the room, knocking over several shelves of Poke Balls.

"Get those Poke Balls!" Joy cried.

Kira threw her Poke Ball. "Charmander! Buy us some time! Keep them busy!"

As Charmander started battling Koffing, the others started picking up Poke Balls. Ash picked up one as Misty shouted, "This is war! Don't just hold 'em! Throw 'em!"

"Uh, right. Poke Ball, here we go!" Ash threw the ball. It opened, releasing a Pidgey. Ekans noticed the new opponent and rose up. The Pidgey apparently didn't have very much battle experience. It screeched and flapped its wings in fear and started flying desperately around the room.

"That thing can't beat us," Jessie said as Ash returned the Pidgey to its ball.

He picked up another one. "No? Well, try this one! Poke Ball, here we go!" The Poke Ball opened, but nothing happened. "Empty?!"

Nurse Joy hurried by with an armful of Poke Balls. "Some of the Poke Balls are empty."

"Now she tells us," Kira said, picking up another handful of Poke Balls.

"We're never going to beat them that way!" Misty said.

Ash picked up another Poke Ball. "This one feels like a real winner. Poke Ball, go!"

This time, it was a Rattata. James looked down haughtily at the tiny Pokemon. "Pipsqueak." Jessie made a motion with her hand and Ekans started after Rattata. It shrieked and started running under the fallen shelves as Ekans chased it.

While Ash reluctantly returned the Rattata to its ball, Misty pulled out a Poke Ball. "Well, I guess I'm going to have to take this into my own hands. You guys grab Pikachu and get out of here! I'll take care of these three clowns."

Kira called Charmander back to her side and stood next to Misty as Jessie crossed her arms. "That's pretty big talk coming from such a little lady," the thief said.

"At least you're right about the pretty part," Misty said smugly. "Thanks for the compliment."

"The girl thinks she's pretty," James said.

"I agree with her. I think she's pretty, too," Jessie said. "Pretty pathetic."

Misty growled and Kira grabbed her arm to keep her from attacking Jessie herself. "I'll show you! Poke Ball, go!" She threw her Poke Ball, releasing a Goldeen.

The Pokemon flopped around uselessly on the floor. "Misty, in case you haven't noticed, this isn't water!" Kira shouted.

Misty held out the Poke Ball. "Goldeen, return!"

Once her Pokemon was gone, Jessie and James looked at each other. "That's her best shot?" Jessie asked.

"She's all washed up."

Misty didn't back down. "You know as well as I do that a Water Pokemon can't battle on land."

"Then, why'd you do that?" Kira asked.

"I was just warming up," was Misty's confident reply.

"Warming up?" Ash repeated from behind them.

"Just get Pikachu out of here!" Misty hissed over her shoulder.

"Oh, right!" Ash grabbed the stretcher and started running. Team Rocket's Pokemon started to follow, but Charmander jumped in their way. He tried to use his Flamethrower attack, but while he was aiming at Koffing, Ekans tackled him from behind, knocking him into a stack of boxes. By the time he was on his feet again, Team Rocket was gone.

Kira and the others hurried after them. They found Ash and Team Rocket in the lobby, both staring at a crackling pile of Pikachu. The Pokemon Center's emergency Pikachu had banded together to help Ash's Pikachu by giving him a recharge. The excess electricity was enough to shock Team Rocket from ten feet away, leaving them singed and dazed. Ash's Pikachu climbed to the top of the pile.

"Pikachu!" Ash cried, relieved that his Pokemon was okay.

Meowth jumped in front of Jessie and James. "Do I have to do everything? That mouse is cat food! Meowth! Just wait, Pikachu, you're mine!"

As Meowth advanced, Kira pointed at him. "Does it bother anyone else that he's talking?"

Ash's Pikachu looked at him. "Pika, pika, pika, pika."

"Pika, pika?" Ash repeated.

"Pika!"

"Pika...pika-power?" he guessed.

"Pika!"

"So you want...you want more power!" As soon as he figured it out, Ash ran toward what was left of Misty's bike.

"What's this?" Meowth asked.

Ash flipped the bike upside down and started pedaling. The light on the front started flickering. "Well," Ash answered, "let's just say that Pikachu and I are gonna generate a little excitement for you, Meowth."

Pikachu jumped onto the light. The faster Ash pedaled, the brighter the light shone, and the more energy Pikachu got. He started sparking and crackling. Kira glanced at Team Rocket and saw that Koffing had recovered enough to start smogging up the room again. Pikachu let loose with a Thunderbolt aimed straight at Team Rocket. The charge ignited the smog, like a fuse lighting dynamite.

"Everybody, down!" Kira shouted. She dropped on top of Charmander and Misty as the Pokemon Center literally exploded around them.

When the dust cleared, Kira risked looking around. There was no sign of Team Rocket. "I think it's clear." She stood up and helped Misty to her feet.

A voice from outside cut through the silence."Hello, is anybody in there?"

Misty looked around. "That sounds like Officer Jenny." She cupped her hands around her mouth and hollered back, "We're in here!"

Officer Jenny pushed some debris away as she ran toward them. "Sorry I was late. At least I didn't miss the fireworks. Is everyone okay?"

Ash sat up and rubbed the back of his head. "I think so."

"I'm okay," Misty said.

"Me, too." Kira looked down at Charmander. "You okay, buddy?"

Charmander nodded. "Char."

Ash's Pikachu jumped up onto his knee. "Pikachu, you're okay!" He hugged his Pokemon as Kira looked around.

The Pokemon Center was almost completely destroyed. Portions of it were still standing, but most of it was rubble. Nurse Joy came out of one of the undamaged portions. "All of the Pokemon made it safe- oh, my word!" she said, looking around at the destruction. "Is everyone alright?"

Ash looked up from Pikachu. "We are now."

Kira knelt down next to Charmander and patted his head. "Sorry about the Pokemon Center, Nurse Joy."

Joy nodded. "There's nothing to be sorry about. You were just defending yourselves and the Pokemon. Without you, those Pokemon would have been stolen."

Jenny spoke up. "The way I see it, Team Rocket is responsible for the damage. And we'll make sure they pay!"

Kira smiled and picked up Charmander. "Well, now that we've totally destroyed this building, what's our next move?"

"Our move?" Ash asked as he stood up.

Kira grinned. "Yeah, if you don't mind company, that is."

Ash shook up his head. "No, that'd be great."

"All right." Kira looked at Misty. "What about you, Misty? You comin'?"

Misty looked at Ash, then back at Kira. "Well, okay. But only until I get a new bike."

Kira laughed. "Then it's settled. What's our next move?"

Officer Jenny stepped forward. "We can arrange for some hotel rooms for the night. If you plan on leaving in the morning, I would suggest making Pewter City your next stop. It's on the other side of the Viridian Forest."

She led them out of the ruined Pokemon Center to a nearby hotel, where she arranged for two rooms for the kids for the night. They slept soundly after the excitement of the day, then left Viridian City early the next morning.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

As they walked down the road, Kira came up next to Ash, while Rattata scampered alongside. "Remember that Pokemon you were talking about with Grandpa last night?"

"Yeah, what about it?"

"What did it look like?"

Ash thought for a moment. "It was huge. And beautiful. It was different colors, almost like a rainbow. And the sky sort of sparkled where it flew." He looked at her. "Why do you want to know?"

Kira looked up at the sky as they walked. "That carving back in the Pokemon Center. It showed pictures of four different Pokemon that are so rare, they're practically legend. Like Grandpa said, trainers have searched their entire lives and never even seen them."

"The Pokemon I saw looked like one of those carvings."

"That carving was pretty old, so for all we know, it could have been. It's too bad it was destroyed. But your description sounds similar to others I've heard."

Ash looked up eagerly. "You mean other people have seen that Pokemon? What's it called?"

Kira shook her head. "I'm not sure. I'd have to see it for myself. Based on my research, it sounds like it could have been one of a couple of different Pokemon."

Misty joined the conversation. "Research?"

Kira smiled. "I've been fascinated with Legendary Pokemon since I was a little kid. A few years ago, I started collecting as much information about them as possible. It's my dream to catch them and study them."

"Really?" Misty asked. "What have you learned so far?"

Kira put her hands in her pockets. "No one knows exactly how many different kinds of Pokemon there are in the world. Currently, there are around one hundred and fifty that are known to live in Kanto. Who knows how many live in other regions. So far, I've learned of three Legendary Pokemon that have been reported to live in this region. They're all Flying Pokemon, so they're known collectively as the Legendary Birds of Kanto."

"What are they?" Misty asked.

Kira counted them off on her fingers. "Well, there's Moltres, a Fire Pokemon. Then there's Articuno, an Ice Pokemon. And the last one is Zapdos, an Electric Pokemon. I've never seen them, but my research says there here."

"Where?"

"I don't know exactly. Almost none of the reports have the Pokemon appearing in the same spots." Kira hesitated, then continued. "Even if I did figure out where any of them can be found, I'm not sure if I'd tell anybody. These Pokemon are rare and practically extinct. If the location gets out, they could be in danger. I'm afraid that people would go in and capture them, then sell them to the highest bidder."

"I never thought of that, but you have a good point," Misty said.

"Do you think the Pokemon I saw was one of those Legendary Birds?" Ash asked.

Kira shrugged. "It's possible. I highly doubt it was an Articuno. My research says they're never seen outside of areas with a cold climate. It could have been a Moltres or a Zapdos, though. Or it could be from a totally different region. There's no way to know unless I see it for myself and compare it with my notes."

"Do you know of any Legendary Pokemon from other regions?" Misty asked.

Kira shook her head. "Not really. I haven't collected much information from other regions yet."

The conversation turned to other things as they entered the Viridian Forest. They had only gone a little ways into the forest when Misty suddenly screamed and grabbed Ash's arm.

Ash looked at her. "What's the matter?"

Misty cringed and pointed off to their left. A tiny green worm Pokemon stood between a couple of trees, staring that them with huge eyes.

Ash grinned. "Cool, it's a Caterpie!"

Kira picked up Rattata and squatted down to get a better look at the Caterpie. "It's one of the Bug Pokemon. It's feet have suction cups designed to stick to any surface. It uses them to climb trees to forage. It has a voracious appetite and can devour leaves bigger than its body right before your eyes. It grows by molting repeatedly. For protection, it can release a horrible stench from the antennae to drive away enemies. Isn't it cute, Misty?"

Misty hid behind Ash. "Even if it is a Pokemon, bugs are disgusting and I don't like them! Do something!"

Ash shook his arm free. "All right, stand back. This one's a piece of cake." He took out a Poke Ball. "Poke Ball, go!"

The ball sailed toward Caterpie, striking it on the head. Caterpie squealed and disappeared into the Poke Ball. Ash, Misty, and Kira watched intently as the ball wriggled on the ground. Finally, the ball stood still.

"Yes! I did it!" Ash ran over and picked up the ball. "Ha ha!" He laughed as he held up the Poke Ball and ran back to the girls. "I did it! I did it all by myself! I caught my first Pokemon! This is the first step on my way to becoming the number one Pokemon master in the whole world!"

Kira shook her head as Ash grabbed Misty's arm and started dancing in a circle, dragging her along with him. "Hey, wait a minute!" she cried. "I'm getting dizzy! I'm gonna get sick!"

Kira, Rattata, and Pikachu watched them until Misty finally pulled away. "Ash, you're acting like a-" she stopped and cringed as Ash held the Poke Ball in her face.

"Inside this ball is the very first Pokemon I ever caught in my whole entire life," he said.

Kira crossed her arms. "Yeah, Ash, we know. You've made your point."

Misty held up her hands. "Great, just keep it away from me, will ya?"

Ash continued to hold the Poke Ball up. "You're not afraid of an itty bitty Caterpie in a Poke Ball, are you?"

"Bugs get me all bugged out!" Misty screamed. "Even when they're in a Poke Ball. Just keep it away!" She turned and marched back over to Kira.

Ash looked puzzled. "I like bugs, even if they're not in Poke Balls."

Kira put a comforting hand on Misty's shoulder. "I don't mind Bug Pokemon, either, Ash, but Misty doesn't like them, so try to keep her feelings in mind." She stopped talking when she realized Ash wasn't listening.

"It must be great for Catetpie inside the Poke Ball," he was saying, "all cute and comfortable inside there." He rubbed the Poke Ball against his cheek. "I love my new little Pokemon."

"I guess it takes a worm to love a worm," Misty snapped.

"Not helping," Kira said.

Ash wasn't impressed with her wit. "Very funny."

Kira shook her head at the two of them as Ash knelt next to Pikachu. "We've got a new friend."

Pikachu leaned forward and sniffed the Poke Ball, then perked up his ears. "Pika!" he said happily.

"Oh, Pikachu, I'm glad you like it." Ash stood up. "And from now on, we'll catch a whole bunch of new friends!" He looked at the Poke Ball again. "Caterpie, you're sticking with us."

Misty jumped at that comment. "Does that mean...?"

Ash didn't give her time to finish. He threw the Poke Ball again. "Caterpie, come out!"

With a flash, Caterpie appeared in front of them. Before he could fully form, Misty hid behind Kira.

Kira glanced over her shoulder. "There's really nothing to be afraid of, Misty."

Misty continued to tremble. "I can't help it. I've always been scared of bugs."

Ash knelt in front of his new Pokemon and held out his arm. "Come on, Caterpie. Climb up on my shoulder."

Caterpie started to crawl toward Ash, then looked past him toward the girls. With a squeal, he scurried past Ash and made a beeline for Misty.

"Hey, Caterpie, come back!" Ash said.

Misty screamed as Caterpie started rubbing against her leg, making contented noises.

Kira laughed and stepped aside. "Hey, Misty, Caterpie really likes you. Isn't that cute?"

Misty fell to her knees. "Get this disgusting bug away from me!" Caterpie scooted closer, causing Misty to shuffle backwards. "Please, don't come any closer to me!"

"You think Caterpie is disgusting?" Ash asked, putting his hands on his hips.

Caterpie lowered his head, clearly upset by her reaction. Pikachu came up beside him and patted his back. Kira leaned down and and picked up Caterpie.

Misty got up and picked up Pikachu. "I know! You be friends with that creepy bug, and I'll be friends with you."

"Are you talking to me, or Pikachu?" Kira asked with a grin.

Ash stuck his nose in the air. "Pikachu only likes me and zaps anyone who tries to-" he stopped short when he noticed both girls petting Pikachu. And Pikachu was clearly enjoying the attention.

Caterpie looked like he was going to cry. "Misty, look," Kira said, holding him out. "I think you hurt his feelings."

Misty leaned away. "It's so gross! Ash, put that slimy thing back in the Poke Ball! Bugs are one of the three most disgusting things in the world!"

"What are the other disgusting things?" Kira asked.

"Aside from you," Ash added under his breath.

Misty glared at him. "Very funny." She held up three fingers. "Carrots, peppers, and bugs. Everybody has something they don't like, and I don't like bugs!"

Ash made a face. "Oh, yeah? Well, I like carrots and peppers and bugs. What I don't like is they way you're hurting Caterpie's feelings with your silly fear of bugs."

"Will you two knock it off already?" Kira asked, frustrated with their bickering. She knelt to put Caterpie down and petted Rattata.

Misty turned away as Ash knelt to talk to Caterpie. "I don't think you're ugly or disgusting at all, Caterpie." He held out a hand. "Come on. Climb up on my shoulder." Caterpie glanced at Misty, then crawled onto his shoulder. He stood up. "You're not going to scare Misty anymore."

"What do you mean he won't scare me?" Misty asked.

Ash looked at Kira. "We'll go on without her." He started walking away as Pikachu jumped out of Misty's arms and followed him.

Misty stood up. "Oh yeah? I'll show you!"

Kira stood up and waved for Rattata to come along. Misty came up next to her and the two girls walked together a good distance behind Ash and his Pokemon. For a while, they walked in silence. Suddenly, Misty spoke.

"I'm still trying to figure out why you're friends with him," she said. "It's so obvious you're a much better Trainer than he is."

Kira shrugged. "I'm not really friends with him, not exactly. We're both from Pallet Town, but I've never actually met him before yesterday. I've seen him around town, but we never talked to each other."

"You're from Pallet Town? Do you know Professor Oak?"

"He's my grandfather," Kira said proudly. "He raised me and my brother."

"Really? Well, I guess that explains how you knew so much about Caterpie."

"Yeah, Gary and I could probably recite every Pokedex entry for every Pokemon that's been discovered."

Misty pulled her backpack higher on her shoulder. "Who's Gary? Your brother?"

Kira nodded. "Yeah, he's my twin."

"Twins. Wow. Why aren't you two traveling together, then?"

Kira kicked at a stone and watched Rattata scamper after it. "Gary and I have been together our entire lives. I mean, we were born together, we went to school together, we studied Pokemon together with Grandpa. We've always been there for each other, so I guess we both wanted to see if we could make it on our own."

"I guess that makes sense," Misty said. "What about your parents? Are they Pokemon trainers, too?"

Kira looked away. "They were. They're gone now."

"Gone?" Misty asked. Then she understood. "Oh. You mean...?"

"Yeah."

There were a few minutes of silence as the girls walked. Kira watched Rattata run back over to her side and walk beside her. Then Kira spoke again.

"So how about you?" she asked, looking at Misty. "Where are you from?"

"Cerulean City. I'm training to be a Water Pokemon master. I just love Water Pokemon! They're so beautiful and graceful!"

Kira smiled at her enthusiasm. "What made you decide on Water Pokemon?"

Misty smiled. "I've always loved them. And my sisters use Water Pokemon in their swimming shows."

"Swimming shows?"

"Yeah, my three older sisters are the Sensational Synchronized Sisters of Cerulean City."

Kira nodded. "I've heard of them. But why aren't you part of their shows?"

Misty frowned. "They think I'm not sensational enough. That's why I left. I told them I wasn't going to come back until I was a Water Pokemon master. I'm gonna prove them wrong."

Kira put a hand on Misty's shoulder. "I'm sure you will. You seem too stubborn to do otherwise."

For the next couple of hours, the girls continued talking as they walked, learning more about each other. Kira found that, despite their age difference, she and Misty got along really well. Misty learned that, although Kira was around the same age as her sisters, she still treated her with respect. They both had the feeling that their unlikely friendship would last for a long time.

After a while, Ash turned around. "What are you following us for?" he yelled at Misty.

Misty froze. "My- my bike. I'm holding you responsible for my bike."

"When are you going to get over that dumb old bike?"

"For your information, Mister Pokemon master," she snapped, "you're the dumb one because if you hadn't destroyed it in the first place, I could have been out of here by now."

Ash took a step forward. "I told you, I'd make good on your bike one day, and if I'm so dumb, how come you're still following me?"

Kira rubbed her forehead. "Didn't we just go over this?"

Misty put her hands on her hips. "I'm not following you. This happens to be the fastest way through the woods."

Kira held up her hands. "Enough, both of you! Good grief, you fight more than me and my brother."

Ash turned around again. "Fine. Do whatever you want."

"That's exactly what I'm doing!" Misty yelled as he walked away.

Pikachu glanced at Ash, then Misty, then looked at Kira. Kira looked back at him and shrugged, then kept walking.

The group kept going until sunset, when it grew too dark to see the trail. They set up camp in a small clearing and Kira tried to keep the peace between Ash and Misty while Charmander helped her build a fire. While they continued arguing, she brought out her other Pokemon to feed and care for them.

Finally, Ash and Misty stormed to opposite sides of the campsite. Ash knelt down to pet Caterpie, then looked at Kira. "So who's going to cook dinner?"

Kira raised an eyebrow and placed a handful of food in front of Sandshrew. "First of all, a good Trainer doesn't even think about food until his Pokemon have been taken care of. Second, why are you looking at me?"

Ash turned red as Misty snickered. "Um, well, I guess I figured you would cook since you're the oldest."

"Hey, just because I'm older than you doesn't automatically mean I know how to cook," she said as she handed some food to Mankey.

"Do you know how to cook?" Misty asked.

"As a matter of fact, yes, so I will make dinner," Kira replied. She pointed at Ash. "But you're not getting any until you've taken care of your Pokemon."

Ash nodded. "All right, all right, I'm going."

As he turned away, she finished distributing food to her Pokemon. Misty took care of hers, then came over to help her. "You know, you sounded just like a mother."

Kira shook her head. "Please, no. I'm not ready to get married, let alone be a mother." She pulled some food and cooking materials out of her backpack, then walked over to the fire. "I did most of the cooking and cleaning back home, so I'm actually a decent cook." She filled her little pot with water and hung it over the fire.

"So you took care of your grandfather and brother?" Misty asked.

"Pretty much. Grandpa took care of us when we were younger, but it was hard on him since his research took up so much time. As I got older, I took over as many of the chores as possible to make things easier for him. He taught me the basics of cooking, and I figured out the rest on my own."

The girls sat down next to the fire. "Did your brother help out with the chores?"

"Sometimes. Usually, he was helping Grandpa with one of his research projects."

Misty frowned. "That doesn't seem fair. You got stuck with all the chores."

Kira leaned back. "Actually, we both worked with Grandpa a lot. I did most of the cooking, but the rest of the chores were taken care of pretty much only when they absolutely needed to be done." She grinned. "We would get so wrapped up in our work with the Pokemon that we would forget to eat a lot of times."

"At least you don't need to be reminded to take care of your Pokemon," Misty said.

"Ash is young. He'll learn." While the water heated, Kira reached into her backpack and took out her marker and labels. Misty watched as she picked up Charmander's Poke Ball, wrote something on a label, then stuck it to the bottom of the Poke Ball.

"What's that?" Misty asked.

Kira showed her the Poke Ball. The label had "Charmander" with the letters "K.O." written underneath. "I'm marking all of my Poke Balls with the Pokemon it belongs to and my initials. That way, I can easily tell that they're mine."

"That's a good idea."

Kira labeled the rest of her Poke Balls, then finished making dinner. After they ate, the kids cleaned up and started preparing for bed. Misty purposefully unrolled her sleeping bag on the opposite side of the campsite from Ash. Kira laid out her sleeping bag nearby.

"You're not going to put your Pokemon away?" Ash asked as Kira climbed into her sleeping bag.

"No. I like giving them the choice to sleep outside. Besides, they have better senses than I do, so they'll be able to tell if trouble comes."

"Good point. Okay, Caterpie and Pikachu, you can sleep out here if you want." He laid down, using his backpack as a pillow. "We'd better get some sleep, you guys. Tomorrow's going to be a big day."

Misty huffed and rolled over angrily in her sleeping bag. "Well, we'd all get some sleep if you'd shut your big mouth."

"Misty, knock it off," Kira said as she got comfortable.

"Hmph," Ash said, "don't let the bed bugs bite."

The three Trainers settled down as their Pokemon got comfortable for the night. Kira opened her eyes and took a last look to make sure her Pokemon were all right. Sandshrew, Charmander, and Rattata were curled up together under a tree, while Pidgey roosted in the branches above them. Mankey hopped over to Kira and settled down at her side, cuddling close. Kira put an arm around him and smiled as she fell asleep.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: hey, everyone, sorry about the weird formatting errors. I've been having trouble with my document writer. Hopefully, it won't happen again.**

Chapter 4

Early the next morning, Ash, Kira, and their Pokemon were woken from a sound sleep by an eardrum-shattering scream. Kira jumped out of her sleeping bag, tossing Mankey head over heels. Her other Pokemon were instantly on their feet, looking for the source of the scream. Ash jumped up, still in his sleeping bag. "What? What's wrong? What's happening?" Everyone looked around, then spotted Misty, frozen in terror. Caterpie was at her feet.

"What's this thing doing _sleeping_ next to me?" she cried.

Ash laughed. "Caterpie just wants to be your friend."

"If that _thing_ wants to be my friend, it can stop bugging me already!" Misty yelled.

Kira knelt to check on Mankey, who was picking himself up. Other than being shaken, he was fine, as were her other Pokemon. "Screaming at him isn't going to help."

Misty ignored her and put her hands on her hips. "If you're a Pokemon," she yelled at Caterpie, "get out of my face and into that Poke Ball!"

"Oh, Misty, you are so unbelievable!" Ash said. "Caterpie means you no harm. Why he likes you, I'll never know."

Kira left them to their arguing and went about feeding her Pokemon and packing her things. When Ash failed to cheer up Caterpie, he turned on Misty. "All right, Misty, you owe Caterpie an apology. Pokemon have feelings, too, you know."

"He does have a point there," Kira said as she rolled up her sleeping bag. _Although it's hard to take him seriously when he's still wearing his sleeping bag,_ she thought. Misty crossed her arms and turned away.

If Caterpie had shoulders, they would have drooped as he turned and disappeared into his Poke Ball. "Come on, Caterpie," Ash consoled, "don't you worry. Someday we'll show her."

Kira started to put her Pokemon away, then looked up when she heard wings flapping. A Pidgeotto swooped through their campsite and landed in the grass nearby.

Ash eagerly climbed out of his sleeping bag. "Wow! A Pidgeotto!" He held up his Pokedex.

"Pidgeotto," Dexter said, "an evolved form of the Pidgey. It is armed with sharp claws and dives from the sky to capture it's prey. Unlike the more gentle Pidgey, Pidgeotto can be dangerous. Approach with extreme caution."

Kira finished with her Pokemon and stood up. "It flies over a wide amount of territory looking for prey. It has outstanding vision. However high it flies, it's able to distinguish the movements of it's prey. It renders the prey immobile with it's well-developed claws, then carries it over sixty miles to it's nest." She looked at Ash. "I already have a Pidgey, so why don't you try to catch it, Ash? It'll be good practice for you."

He put the Pokedex away. "All right, Pidgeotto. I'll show you who's the dangerous one around here." He pulled out a Poke Ball and threw it.

Without looking, the Pidgeotto swatted the ball away with it's wing. The ball landed at Ash's feet. Ash hung his head. "Uh..."

Kira shook her head. "You don't just throw a Poke Ball and capture a Pokemon, Ash. You have to make it battle and weaken it first."

"The only reason you got to catch Caterpie is because it's already a weakling," Misty said.

Ash raised his head. "I know what I'm doing. And you'd just better quit picking on Catepie, Misty, okay?" He turned and held up a fist. "And now, if you'd kindly keep your big mouth shut, you'll see how it's done." He picked up Caterpie's Poke Ball.

Kira tried to stop him. "Ash, that's not a good-"

"Go, Caterpie!" Ash threw the Poke Ball.

Kira, Misty, and Pikachu stared in shock at the Pokemon. Ash grinned smugly. "Ha! I _told_ you I knew what I was doing."

Kira couldn't stay silent. Normally, she believed in letting people learn for themselves. It was how her grandfather had taught her. But she couldn't take this. "You don't have any idea of the mistake you've just made, do you?"

Ash looked worried. "Did I do something wrong?" They all turned as Caterpie squealed. Pidgeotto was chasing him around the clearing, pecking him mercilessly. Caterpie was running as fast as possible, but he didn't stand a chance against the wild Pokemon.

"Caterpie!" Ash cried. Pidgeotto flew high and dove. "Caterpie, Counter Attack!" Caterpie bravely tried to stand up against his opponent, but Pidgeotto hit him hard, knocking him into a tree.

"Caterpie!" Ash cried again.

"Quick, call him back!" Kira yelled.

Ash didn't argue. Pidgeotto was getting ready to dive again. "Caterpie, return!" He held out the Poke Ball. The return beam shot out, moving faster than Pidgeotto, who was coming in for the kill. Caterpie disappeared just in time. Pidgeotto slammed into the tree, catching his beak in the trunk. While he tried to free himself, Ash sent Pikachu into battle.

Pidgeotto pulled free and tried to dive again, but Pikchu hit it with a Thundershock that weakened and paralyzed it. Ash threw his Poke Ball again. Pidgeotto was sucked into the ball and they all watched to see if the capture was successful.

The ball stopped wiggling and the button flashed. "Yes!" Ash cried. "We got Pidgeotto!" He picked up the Poke Ball. "I am the greatest-"

"You're the worst!" Misty said as he walked back. "You have no idea what you're doing! It'll be a long time till _you're_ a Pokemon master, like a million years."

Ash sighed. "I'm trying to-"

"You should try to learn something about Pokemon first," Misty interrupted. "With Pokemon, you've got to use strategy."

"It's not all about brute strength, Ash," Kira said, "You have to think about Pokemon types in battle."

"Pokemon types?"

Misty broke it down for him. "Pidgeotto is a bird. Caterpie is a worm. Birds eat worms, Mister Pokemon master!"

"Well," Ash stammered, "if you just try hard enough, things will work out, won't they?"

Kira shook her head again. "No, Ash, I'm afraid things won't just work out if you try hard enough. The Pokemon Trainer's judgement is more important than anything else."

"And, unfortunately for you, the Trainer has to have a brain," Misty added.

Their argument was interrupted by a cackling laughter. The kids looked up in time to see the Team Rocket thieves, Jessie and James, standing in the middle of the path.

"So, we meet again," James said.

"To protect the world from devastation," Jessie said.

"To unite all peoples within our nation."

"To denounce the evils of truth and love."

"To extend our reach to the stars above."

"Jessie!"

"James!"

Kira pinched the bridge of her nose and shook her head. "Not this again."

Jessie struck what looked like a martial arts pose. "Team Rocket, blast off at the speed of light!"

"Surrender now or prepare to fight!" James said, taking an identical pose.

Meowth popped up between them. "Meowth! That's right!"

Ash stepped forward. "Uh, we're kind of busy right now, so if you could-"

"Quiet, little boy!" Jessie snapped. "We're not here to listen to you. We're here to get your Pokemon."

They pointed at Pikachu. "Hand over that Pikachu," James said.

"Hey, this is my Pikachu. Go out and find your own."

"The only Pikachu we want is that one," Jessie said.

James nodded. "We're only looking for the rarest, most valuable Pokemon in the world, kid."

"And that Pikachu's just the kind of Pokemon we need."

Meowth glared at them, then started scratching them across the face. "You idiots! Stop givin' away all our secrets!"

Ash stared at them. "Is my Pikachu really that special?"

Meowth crossed his arms. "Your Pikachu's powers impressed even me. I really got a charge out of it's incredible attack the last time we met. It's powers exceed it's evolutionary level. Your Pokemon would-" He was cut off mid-sentence by Jessie and James when they both kicked him.

"Blabbermouth! Now _you're_ giving away all of our secrets!" they said. "Shut up before you tell them everything!"

Kira started to grab Ash and Misty so they could escape, but Team Rocket pulled themselves together. "Hand over that Pikachu!" Jessie said.

"Forget it!" Ash yelled.

"Then you leave us no choice," James said. The thieves threw their Poke Balls, releasing Ekans and Koffing.

"Hey," Ash cried, "two against one! That's cheating!"

Jessie tossed her hair. "Well, as we say, all's fair in love, war, and Pokemon battles."

"I say that saying's rotten, and so are you!"

"Of course we are," James said, "we're the bad guys."

"How about we even the odds?" Kira said. She threw a Poke Ball. "Rattata, go!"

James whipped out a rose and pointed with it. "Koffing, Sludge Attack, now!"

Koffing fired his sludge at Rattata. Rattata jumped out of the way. "Rattata, hit it with Tackle!" Kira shouted.

Koffing continued shooting sludge at Rattata, who leapt over or dodged every shot. He got close enough to tackle Koffing, but just as he jumped, Koffing hit him squarely in the face with a sludge shot.

"Rattata!" Kira started to run forward to help her Pokemon, but stopped when she saw what he was doing.

Rattata, the timid little mouse who hid in her backpack, was bravely struggling to his feet. The sludge had covered his eyes so he couldn't see, but he was using his ears and whiskers to figure out where his opponent was. Kira watched in amazement as her shy little Rattata jumped faster than she'd ever seen.

Koffing had assumed that his enemy was defeated and had turned his back on Rattata. Just as he fired a sludge shot that blinded Pikachu, Rattata used Quick Attack from behind, taking him by surprise and knocking him into Ekans.

Kira took advantage of the break in combat and scooped up Rattata. "Are you okay?" Rattata looked at her and nodded. She hugged him. "You did good, buddy. I'm proud of you."

Ash handed Pikachu to Misty and sent out his new Pidgeotto. Kira held Rattata in one arm and sent out Pidgey to help. The two birds were doing well, until Ekans caught Pidgeotto in the back. Koffing tackled Pidgey while he was distracted and both birds went down.

Kira returned her Pokemon to their Poke Balls to keep them safe. She got ready to send out another one, then saw Ash suddenly run toward Team Rocket.

"I'll show you," he said, charging James. "All right, let's go! Put 'em up!"

James held him at arm's length as Meowth said, "Ha! What a fool! In Pokemon battles, only the Pokemon fight each other."

James shoved Ash. "Buzz off!"

Ash stumbled backwards and fell. Misty and Kira ran to his side. "Ash, are you okay?"

"Guess you've got no choice," Jessie said. "Let Pikachu in and watch Team Rocket win."

"Does everything you say have to rhyme?" Kira asked.

Pikachu struggled in Misty's arms. "No, Pikachu," she said, trying to wipe the sludge off, "you can't battle in this condition."

Ash stood up and took out his last Poke Ball. "I know you're still weak from your battle with Pidgeotto, but now, Caterpie, you're my only hope. Just give it your very best shot."

Kira started to take out another Pokemon, but Misty put a hand on her arm. "Save your Pokemon for when his fails. They'll be our backup plan."

Kira nodded and watched as Ash threw the Poke Ball. "Caterpie, go!"

Caterpie appeared in front of them, still scratched up and tired from his battle with Pidgeotto. Team Rocket looked at the tiny Pokemon in disbelief. "What's that?" James asked.

"It's a bug," Meowth said. "A measly little bug."

Team Rocket started laughing uncontrollably and ordered Ekans and Koffing to attack. Caterpie squealed in terror and curled up. Just as they got into striking range, Ash shouted, "Caterpie, String Shot, now!"

Caterpie straightened up and immediately started blowing out a web of extremely sticky threads. The strands hit Koffing and Ekans and quickly started building up. Soon, Ekans' head and Koffing's entire body were covered. Caterpie scurried forward as fast as possible and tackled Koffing, knocking him into Ekans.

The two Pokemon went flying past Team Rocket. "Beaten by a Caterpie?!" James said. He sounded like he couldn't believe his eyes.

Jessie held up her fists. "That really bugs me."

Meowth stepped forward. "Now watch a real Pokemon in action."

He lifted a paw to attack, but Caterpie used String Shot again. Soon, Meowth was covered head to foot in sticky silk, as well. Jessie and James ran forward and grabbed him. "It's time Team Rocket blasted off," Jessie said.

"You may have won this round, but we'll be back!" James shouted over his shoulder as they ran.

"Come back any time," Kira yelled.

"Yeah, we'll be glad to beat you!" Misty added. She stuck out her tongue at them.

Ash stared in amazement. "We did it. We did it! We won our first Pokemon battle fair and square! Yeah!"

Kira came over and patted his arm. "I have to say, Ash, that was impressive. You handled that battle really well."

Ash grinned and picked up Caterpie. "Caterpie, I'm very proud of you. You really did your best and we won because of you."

Misty came over. "You're stronger than you look, Caterpie."

Caterpie squealed in delight. Ash turned to Misty. "Well, Misty, I guess you feel different about Caterpie now." He held out the little worm. "So, why don't you two make up? Just pat Caterpie on the head and say 'Thanks for a really great job.'"

Misty stared at Caterpie. "Come on," he urged. "You like Pokemon, so it's only right to congratulate one for doing a good job."

"I...guess you're right," Misty stammered. She reached out a trembling hand and slowly moved toward Caterpie.

Just before her fingers touched him, Caterpie began blowing out sticky strands again, this time pointing straight up so the threads covered his body. Misty freaked out and jumped back, but Kira leaned forward in fascination.

"Caterpie?" Ash said uncertainly. He set Caterpie on the ground. "What's happening?"

"He's evolving, Ash," Kira said.

"Wow!" Ash said. "Caterpie, this is so great!"

Caterpie glowed pure white for a moment, and his shape began to change. When the glow faded, a Metapod stood in his place.

Ash took out his Pokedex. "Metapod: Caterpie's next stage. It has encased it's body in a hard shell. This specimen reached this stage faster than any previously discovered Pokemon of this variety."

Ash grinned. "Hey, maybe that means it can keep changing and go to the next stage right away." He knelt and picked up his new Pokemon. "Nice to meet you, Metapod." When Metapod didn't respond, he laughed. "Not in the mood to talk?"

Pikachu joined in the celebration as Kira and Misty watched from a short distance away. "I've never known anyone like him," Misty said quietly. "He really does love Pokemon."

Kira nodded. "Ash has a lot to learn, but his heart is in the right place. He has a lot of potential."

Misty looked up and screamed as Ash held Metapod in her face. "Misty," he said slyly, "you two were just about to make friends. You didn't forget, did you?"

Misty cringed. "I- I didn't...forget, but- but I-" She screamed again as a Beedrill buzzed by. "I'll do anything! Let's just get out of this forest!"

Ash looked around. "No way! There's still plenty more Pokemon in this forest." He started down the trail. "Come on! We've got Pokemon to catch!"


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Kira held up a hand. "Hold on! Aren't you forgetting something?" She held up Ash's sleeping bag and backpack.

Ash gave her a sheepish grin. "Oh, yeah. Guess I got a little carried away." He took his sleeping bag and started rolling it up.

Kira set his backpack down next to him. "Maybe a little. And before we get going, we should let our Pokemon rest and get them cleaned up."

"Good idea."

The group waited for about an hour while Ash and Kira washed the thick sludge off of their Pokemon's faces. Kira finished first and fed Rattata and Pidgey while she waited for Ash.

Misty sat on a stump while she waited for the others. "So can you tell us anything else about Metapod?" she asked Kira.

"Well," Kira answered, "its shell is as hard as steel. Since its body is soft and weak, it stays still most of the time while it prepares to evolve."

"How long does it take to evolve?" Ash asked as he put his backpack on.

"And what does it evolve into?" Misty added.

Kira let Sandshrew out of his Poke Ball. "About one week after evolving the first time, Metapod evolves again into Butterfree, a butterfly Pokemon. It's Caterpie's most advanced stage. A Butterfree has water-repellent powder on its wings that enables it to collect honey every day, even in the heaviest rain. It loves honey, especially honey from flowers."

Misty stood up with a grin. "Sounds like Butterfree is the one bug I'll actually get along with."

"Let's go! We're wasting time!" Ash said.

The kids started walking. They saw several more Bug Pokemon that day, but neither Ash nor Kira were able to catch them. They camped out again that night and continued their journey the next morning. For the next several days, they wandered around the forest, training their Pokemon and looking for a way out of the maze of trees.

Misty screamed every time they encountered another Bug Pokemon. Nine days after leaving Viridian City, she screamed loud enough to scare a flock of Pidgey out of the nearby trees.

Kira cringed and looked back at Misty. "What's wrong now?"

Misty was hiding behind a tree. "I think I see another bug! Gross!"

Ash glanced at Pikachu. "Maybe it's a Cow-derpie!" he joked, holding up his fingers like horns.

Kira pinched the bridge of her nose. "Apparently, his training skills aren't the only thing that needs work."

"That's not funny!" Misty yelled. "You know I hate bugs and I saw one right over there!"

A Weedle crawled into view on the path. Misty hid behind Ash as it came closer.

"A Weedle!" Ash said, pulling out his Pokedex.

"Weedle," Dexter said. "The stinger on this Pokemon's head guarantees that any attacker will get the point right where it hurts."

Ash looked up. "A stinger, huh?"

Kira nodded. "The poison is very powerful. And see how it's brightly colored? That's to warn off enemies so it doesn't become something's dinner."

Ash closed his Pokedex and put it away, grinning. "Now that's a challenge."

Misty stepped back. "Why are you excited about a bug with a stinger? Make it go away!"

"You've got to be kidding. You can't possibly expect a great Pokemon Trainer like me to let a Weedle escape. I'm gonna catch it." He started to reach for a Poke Ball, then remembered that he had to weaken Weedle first. He tried to send Pikachu into battle, but Pikachu refused to fight.

"Okay, you snooze, you lose. There's still Pidgeotto and Metapod to do the job, and they give me the respect I deserve." He looked to see if Pikachu would take the bait.

Misty shook her head. "You deserve to have your head examined." She looked down to see the Weedle trying to climb up her leg. She screamed and ran, sending Weedle tumbling.

Kira laughed. "You may not like them, but Bug Pokemon sure love you, Misty."

Misty hid behind Kira. "Don't just stand there, catch it!"

"Have no fear! Ash is here!" He threw a Poke Ball. "Pidgeotto! I choose you!" Pidgeotto appeared in front of Weedle. "Pidgeotto, Gust Attack!"

Pidgeotto started flapping his wings, creating powerful winds that threw Weedle back. Then he took to the sky and started dive-bombing Weedle.

"That's the way to do it!" Ash yelled.

Kira was watching the battle intently. Neither she nor Ash noticed Misty wander off. Weedle tried using its Poison Sting attack, but Pidgeotto avoided the attack. He hit Weedle with another gust, sending it rolling across the ground. Weedle lay there, dazed.

"Okay, here we go. Weedle, I've got you now!" Ash pulled a Poke Ball off of his belt and got ready to throw it.

An unfamiliar voice from behind them distracted him. "Greetings. Am I addressing the Pokemon Trainers who come from Pallet Town?"

Ash and Kira turned. A boy about Ash's age stood behind them, wearing what appeared to be samurai armor. He had a net strapped to his back.

"Yeah, we're Pokemon Trainers from Pallet, but I'm a little busy," Ash said. He started to turn away.

"I have found you at last," the samurai kid said, reaching for a sword on his belt.

"Kira! Ash!" Misty cried as she ran toward them.

The kid swung his sword. Kira and Ash jumped back as the sword stopped an inch away from Ash's nose. "That sword doesn't scare me," Ash said. "There's no way you're stealing my Pokemon!"

"I am no Pokemon thief," the kid said adamantly.

"Who are you, then?" Kira demanded as Misty caught up to them.

The kid lowered his sword. "I am Samurai. I am also shrewd, fearless, and completely invincible in combat. I have been searching the forest for you." He put his sword away.

"What do you want from me?" Ash asked.

Samurai held up a Poke Ball. "A Pokemon match! Let us see who triumphs."

Kira raised an eyebrow, then suddenly remembered the Weedle. She quickly turned around. Weedle had gotten to its feet and was trying to get away. She threw a Poke Ball and caught it before it could escape.

"Oh, no!" Ash cried, turning around. "I forgot about Weedle!"

Kira picked up the Poke Ball. "Sorry, Ash. I didn't want him to get away." She held out the ball to him. "Here. You did all the work. You should take it."

Ash took the Poke Ball and looked at it, then offered it back. "No, you remembered it when I should have. You caught it, you keep it."

"Are you sure?" Kira asked, taking the ball back.

Ash nodded. He returned Pidgeotto to its ball, then turned back to Samurai. "That Weedle almost got away because you mixed me up."

"Don't blame your failure on me," Samurai said. "Your Pokemon handling is dim-witted and clumsy. I hope the young lady proves to be much better."

Kira clipped her Poke Ball to her belt and fished a new empty one out of her pack while Ash walked up to Samurai. "What do you know about Pokemon?" he asked. "I bet I could beat you in a Pokemon match blindfolded."

Samurai held up his Poke Ball. "There is one way to find out." He looked at Kira as she threw her backpack over her shoulder. "I wish to battle you, as well."

Kira nodded. "Sure. I'll battle you after Ash." She picked up Sandshrew and moved over to stand next to Misty as the two boys got ready to start their battle. Pikachu followed her.

Ash sent out Pidgeotto. Instead of immediately flying into the air, Pidgeotto collapsed on the ground. Misty rolled her eyes. "Ash, don't you know you have to let your Pokemon rest once in a while?"

"Well, I- uh..." Ash stammered.

Samurai shook his head. "Only a novice goes into battle with a pooped-out Pokemon. Your blunder will cost you dearly." He threw a Poke Ball. "Pinsir, assume battle mode!"

Kira and Misty looked at each other. "Assume battle mode?" Kira repeated. "Really?"

"What does this guy think this is, a cartoon?" Misty asked.

Their attention was drawn back to the battle as Samurai's Pinsir took the field. Kira knew that a Pinsir used the powerful claws on its head to squeeze its prey and tear it in half. They were known for their hard shells.

"That Pinsir looks pretty tough, but Pidgeotto can beat it," Ash said as Pidgeotto got to his feet.

Misty looked at Kira. "Do you think he can win?"

Kira shrugged. "Ash has the type advantage, since Pidgeotto's a Flying Pokemon and Pinsir's a Bug Pokemon. But that Pinsir looks well-trained. And Ash doesn't have the best success record. So...I don't know."

The battle began. Ash was the first to make to move. "Pidgeotto, Sand Attack!" Pidgeotto started kicking up dust and blowing it at Pinsir.

"That's child's play!" Samurai said. "Pinsir, tackle it!" Pinsir immediately dove forward and hit Pidgeotto with one of its claws. Pidgeotto crashed to the ground. He tried to get up, but couldn't.

Kira cringed. "Ouch. Beaten in one move."

Samurai laughed. "Your Pokemon is beaten." Ash called Pidgeotto back. "Novice," Samurai continued, "are you ready to surrender?"

"No way!" Ash yelled. "I'm just warming up!" He sent out Metapod.

Samurai laughed again. "Watch and weep as Pinsir crushes your Metapod in half!"

"Can he really do that?" Misty asked. She was actually worried about Metapod. "Not even a bug deserves that."

Kira nodded. "Pinsir's claws are really strong. But if Ash does this right, he may actually beat Pinsir."

"This match is already won!" Samurai was saying. "Pinsir, Crush Claw!"

Pinsir dove at Metapod, ready to crush his opponent. "Metapod, Harden now!" Ash yelled.

Metapod glowed green for a moment, just as Pinsir picked him up with his claws. Pinsir tried to snap him in half, but Ash had called the right move. Metapod's shell had hardened to near iron strength. Pinsir kept trying, but Metapod held up. After a couple of minutes, the points on Pinsir's claws snapped clean off.

Misty looked amazed. "It worked!"

Kira hugged Sandshrew. "Great job, Ash!"

"So now who's the novice?" Ash asked.

Samurai called Pinsir back. "Clever, quite clever." He threw another Poke Ball. A Metapod appeared on the battlefield. The two teams stared at each other for a minute. "Metapod," Samurai yelled, "Harden like his!"

"Maximum hardness, Metapod!" Ash cried.

Both Metapods glowed bright green as their Trainers stared at each other, neither one willing to give in. Kira sat down on the grass and placed Sandshrew beside her. "This could take a while."

Several minutes passed. Ash and Samurai kept encouraging their Pokemon and staring at each other. Misty, Kira, Sandshrew, and Pikachu watched. Ash and Samurai didn't move a muscle. Three hours later, they started wearing out. Kira and Misty were sunning themselves on the sidelines, while Pikachu and Sandshrew played nearby.

"More power, Metapod," Ash said wearily. "Samurai's is weakening."

"Harder," Samurai said, "you're the stronger Metapod."

Misty sat up and looked at Kira. "We could be stuck in this forest for the rest of our lives."

Kira nodded, but kept her eyes closed. "Yeah, boys can be stubborn. On the bright side, we're getting a good tan."

Finally, both boys collapsed. Misty rolled her eyes and stood up. "You two are more hardheaded than your Metapods!"

Kira heard a buzzing sound and opened her eyes. Sandshrew was instantly by her side, pushing her and trying to get her to get up. She sat up. "What is it, buddy?"

"Yeah, what's that noise?" Misty asked.

Samurai got to his feet. "A Beedrill swarm approaches! Our match must end. Metapod, return!" Metapod disappeared just as dozens of Beedrills appeared over the tree line.

Ash got up. "Beedrill!"

"That Weedle you attacked must have informed the rest of it's kind. Good day!" Samurai said as he turned and ran.

Kira scooped up her backpack and Sandshrew. "Come on!" Before anyone else could move, one of the Beedrill swooped down and snatched up Ash's Metapod. Ash tried to call it back, but the Beedrill evaded the return beam and disappeared over the tree tops.

"Ash, behind you!" Kira yelled, keeping a tight grip on Sandshrew.

Ash turned around. Another Beedrill was diving at him. Pikachu jumped between them and hit both Ash and the Beedrill with a Thundershock. The injured Beedrill flew back to join the others while Ash stood in a daze.

Misty grabbed one of his arms. "Come on! Let's move it!"

Kira grabbed his other arm. "Follow Samurai!"

They ran as fast as they could, but the swarm was closing in. "They're gaining on us!" Misty yelled.

Ahead of them, Samurai ducked into a thick clump of bushes. The others followed. Kira held Sandshrew tightly as they waited. Less than a minute later, the swarm flew by without stopping.

They all breathed a sigh of relief. Kira looked up at their surroundings. "Uh, oh," she said quietly.

The others looked up. They were hiding near a large tree. Dozens of Kakuna were clinging to the trunk or hanging from the branches. Kira guessed from their size that many of them were ready to evolve.

"A whole hive of Kakunas," Samurai whispered. Misty started to yell, but Kira covered her mouth with her hand. Ash held up his Pokedex.

"Kakuna: a transitional stage between Weedle and Beedrill. Kakunas remain inactive until they evolve into deadly Beedrill and hatch," it said.

Ash put away the Pokedex and looked at the tree again. He noticed something at the base. "Hey, over there." He pointed excitedly. "It's Metapod!"

Now it was Misty's turn to cover his mouth. "Keep your voice down," she whispered.

A cracking sound drew their attention. "Too late," Kira said. She quickly returned Sanshrew to his Poke Ball as several of the Kakuna split down the back, allowing brand-new Beedrill to emerge.

"Beedrills..." Misty said.

"They've evolved," Kira finished.

The Beedrill took to the air and started flying straight at them. The group ran as fast as they could, but the new swarm was gaining on them. The buzzing grew louder as the swarm that had chased them to the tree joined the ones currently chasing them.

A log cabin appeared through the trees ahead of them. "My cabin!" Samurai yelled. "I think we can make it!"

They ran into the cabin and slammed the door just as the Beedrill got close enough to attack. Several stingers broker through the wooden door. The four kids collapsed on the floor and tried to catch their breath as the swarm buzzed around the cabin.

Ash sighed in relief. "Whew, that was close."

Samurai got up and took off his armor. "I hope you've learned your lesson, Novice," he said to Ash. "Attacking that Weedle almost cost us our lives."

Ash stood up. "Take back that 'novice' crack."

"I do take it back, because not even a novice would abandon his own Pokemon as you did!"

Ash looked away. "I tried to save Metapod." His hands tightened into fists.

"Your Metapod will pay for its Trainer's inexperience," Samurai said. "The other Trainers from Pallet Town would never have been so irresponsible."

Kira looked up at that comment. "Other Trainers from Pallet? Did you see a guy about my age? Spiky brown hair, looks a lot like me?"

Samurai nodded. "That was a particularly spectacular match. That Trainer really knew how to raise Pokemon. The one before him was good, as well. Even though I was defeated both times, I was inspired to redouble my own training. I have been eagerly preparing for that day when finally I would beat the next Pokemon Trainer from Pallet."

Misty stood up. "So that's why you've been waiting around here for Ash and Kira to show up."

Samurai crossed his arms. "Compared to those other two, Novice here is a joke," he said, indicating Ash. He looked at Kira. "I only hope you prove more of a challenge."

Kira shrugged. "We'll see, won't we?"

Ash growled at being called a novice again. Kira put a hand on his shoulder to reassure him, then looked out the window. "The sun's setting. Would it be alright for us to spend the night here?" she asked Samurai.

Samurai nodded. "The Beedrill will leave sometime after dark, but you are welcome to stay."

Kira thanked him. "And then first thing tomorrow, we'll find a way to get Metapod back. Okay, Ash?"

Ash nodded reluctantly and went to check on Pikachu. Misty helped Kira check on her Pokemon while Samurai cooked dinner for them. Everyone was tired after the events of the day, so they went to bed as soon as dinner was cleaned up.

Kira lay awake for a while, listening to the hum of the Beedrill outside. She couldn't wait until they got to the next Pokemon Center. She wanted to show Professor Oak her new Pokemon and see how Gary was doing. She missed her brother more than she could say. Trying not to make noise, she reached into her backpack and took out her Pokedex. She'd taped a picture of her family on the inside cover for safekeeping. She touched the picture briefly, then turned on her side. She fell asleep with the Pokedex still open in her hand.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

The next morning, Kira was the first to wake up. She stretched and sat up, yawning as she looked around the room. Misty was next to her, still sleeping. Samurai was across the room, snoring softly. Pikachu was curled up under the table. Ash's sleeping bag was empty.

Kira blinked a couple of times and looked at Ash's spot again. His backpack and sleeping bag were there, but his sneakers and hat were missing. Kira reached over and shook Misty. "Ash is gone."

Misty sat up and rubbed her eyes. "What? Where'd he go?"

"Probably back to the tree to get Metapod," Kira said. She had already climbed out of her sleeping bag and was putting on her shoes.

Misty got up, as well. "We have to help him."

"Allow me to come," Samurai said, getting up. He started putting his armor on. "I have a net that will keep us safe from the Beedrill."

While they quickly got ready, Pikachu paced in front of the door, clearly worried about his friend. Once they were all dressed, Samurai set up his net. It was basically a box made of tightly woven netting with a pole in the center to move it. They hurried under it and started following Ash.

They couldn't run as fast with the net. About halfway back to the tree, Misty pointed at the sky. "Look!" Dozens of Beedrill were flying near the tree, clearly attacking something.

"I hope that's not Ash," Kira said.

"Pi, Pikachu," Pikachu said worriedly.

They hurried as fast as they could. When they got close to the tree, they saw Ash kneeling on the ground, Metapod in front of him. A Beedrill was diving at him from behind.

"Ash!" Misty cried.

"Watch out for the Twineedle attack!" Samurai yelled.

Before they could run closer to help, Metapod shot into the air and tackled the Beedrill hard enough to break one of its stingers. The Beedrill flew back toward the tree while Ash caught Metapod.

The others moved closer. Kira saw that Metapod had a huge gash on its front. "Are you hurt? Are you okay, Metapod?" Ash asked frantically.

Suddenly, white light started shining out of the gash. Everyone gasped as a new Pokemon emerged from the shell. Butterfree squealed and started flapping its wings.

"Butterfree," Ash said, amazed.

Misty clasped her hands. "Oh, it's so beautiful!"

Butterfree started fluttering around Ash until a buzzing sound drew everyone's attention. "Here come the other Beedrill!" Kira shouted.

Ash pointed. "Butterfree, knock them out with your Sleep Powder!"

Butterfree flew high above the swarm and started flapping his wings as he soared over them. Shimmering powder started falling on the Beedrill. One by one, they started dropping out of the sky. Soon, every Beedrill, Kakuna, and Weedle in the area was fast asleep.

"Yay!" Ash said, jumping in the air. "You put all of them to sleep! Butterfree, you're the best!"

While Ash celebrated, Kira, Misty, Pikachu, and Samurai came out from under the net. "Great job, Ash," Kira said, grinning.

Samurai crossed his arms with a smile. "You were able to handle your Butterfree so well just after it evolved. Most impressive!"

"Pikachu!" Pikachu agreed.

Kira waved her arm. "Come on. Let's get out of here before they wake up." The rest of the group agreed and they quickly left the area.

After collecting their things from his cabin, Samurai led them to a path. "This trail will lead you to Pewter City."

"That's great," Ash said, "but before we leave you, Samurai, we still have to finish our match."

Samurai shook his head. "Compared with you, my friend, I am the novice, but I will keep perfecting my technique, and one day, we will meet again."

"I'm sure it will be a most spectacular match," Ash said with a grin.

"That is guaranteed."

Misty put her hands on her hips. "Just promise not to match Metapod vs. Metapod again."

Kira shook her head. "Yeah, that was boring."

Samurai looked at her. "I'm sorry we weren't able to battle, but I hope to meet you again when we are both better Trainers and battle you then."

Kira shook his hand. "Until then, Samurai. See you." They said their goodbyes and left Viridian Forest behind them.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Sorry! Another really long chapter!**

Chapter 7

It was about the middle of the afternoon when they reached the outskirts of Pewter City. Ash was the first to glimpse the city through the trees. He pointed. "Look!" He ran ahead and jumped on a large rock for a better look.

"Yay! Pewter City!" Misty said as she and Kira came up behind him.

Ash sat down on the rock. "Whew. For a while there, I thought we were going to be in this forest for the rest of our lives."

"Pewter City is grey," came a voice from below them, "the color of stone. This town has always been famous for stone."

The kids jumped and looked over the edge of the ledge they were standing on. An older, bearded man was sitting just beneath them.

"What the-? Who's this old guy?" Ash asked.

Kira shrugged. "Good question."

"Never met him," Misty said, shaking her head.

The man turned his head slightly. "The name's Flint. And you're sitting on some of my merchandise, young man."

Ash scrambled to his feet. "Oh, sorry!" He leapt off the rock.

Kira jumped off the ledge. Flint was sitting next to a shelf displaying rocks of varying sizes with their respective prices. "You mean you sell rocks?"

Flint nodded. "Pewter City souvenirs. Wanna buy some?"

Ash climbed down, followed by Pikachu and Misty. "No, thanks. I'm traveling, trying to become a Pokemon Trainer." Pikachu flopped down next to him.

"Uh, huh," Flint said. He looked down at Pikachu. "Well, your Pokemon sure looks worn out." He got to his feet. "Why don't you follow me? I'll show you to the Pokemon Center." He started walking away.

Ash turned to the girls. "See? Looks can be deceiving. He's a nice guy."

Misty looked doubtful. "Are you sure?"

Flint glanced over his shoulder. "By the way, that'll be a two-dollar charge for resting on my rocks."

Kira shook her head. "Seriously?" she mumbled as she handed over the money.

"Do you think we can trust him?" Misty whispered to Kira as they followed Flint toward the city.

Kira glanced at the older man. "It looks like it. At least he's taking us to the Pokemon Center. And I don't know about you, but I can't wait to get there."

Misty sighed. "I know what you mean. Two weeks in that bug-infested forest is enough. I'm ready for a bath and clean clothes.

Ash looked over his shoulder. "What are you talking about?"

Kira moved up to walk beside him. "You didn't get a chance to look around the Viridian City Pokemon Center, did you?"

"No. I was too worried about Pikachu. Why? Did I miss something?"

"Most Pokemon Centers have what they call Trainer's Quarters. They have a couple of bedrooms, bathrooms with showers, and a laundry room for Trainers to rest and clean up."

"Huh. That's cool."

Misty came up on Kira's other side. "You sure know a lot about Pokemon Centers. Are you sure this is your first Pokemon journey?"

Kira smiled. "Grandpa used to take me and Gary along when he had to travel around for his research."

Flint led them to the Pokemon Center, where the kids walked up to the counter. They placed their Pokemon on trays and rang the bell.

A nurse came out of the back. "Please, revitalize my Pokemon," Ash said, sliding the tray across the counter.

The woman took the tray. "Sure, right away, Ash."

Ash looked up as a couple of Chansey took Kira and Misty's trays. The woman looked exactly like Nurse Joy from Viridian City. "Huh? Nurse Joy?"

"Yes, I'm Nurse Joy."

He scratched his head. "But this isn't Viridian City. This is Pewter City."

The nurse nodded. "The Joy in Viridian City is my little sister. I'm the older Joy. I've heard nice things about all of you. Very nice."

"Um, thank you," Ash said.

As Nurse Joy walked away, Misty turned to Kira. "So what's first? Lunch or cleaning up?"

Kira glanced down at her dirty clothes. "Cleaning up. We won't be fit to eat anything until we've washed off at least a few layers of dirt. Come on."

They said goodbye to Flint and followed signs to the Center's Trainer Quarters. Soon, they found themselves at the entrance of a hallway. Three doors stood to the left, while four more lined the right side. Kira pointed at the first door on the left. "Here's the girls' bathroom. Ash, the boys' bathroom is probably at the other end of the hall. When you're done, meet us in the laundry room. I'll wash our dirty clothes while we eat."

As Ash started down the hallway, Misty motioned to the doors on the opposite side. "These are the bedrooms, right?"

"Probably," Kira replied. "If this is set up like the other Pokemon Centers I've been to, then each room has two sets of bunk beds for Trainers spending the night. Come on."

The two girls walked into the bathroom. To their left were four stalls for toilets, with four sinks across from them on the right. Straight ahead, a counter and mirror ran the length of the wall. A doorway on either side of the counter led back to the showers.

The bathroom was decorated in shades of blue, with pictures of Water Pokemon on the walls. Misty was in heaven. "Oh!" she exclaimed. "Look! Isn't it just adorable?"

Kira dropped her backpack on the counter. "While you're admiring the decor, I'm going to take a shower." She pulled out clean clothes and picked up a towel and some toiletries from the shelves beneath the counter.

"I'm coming. I just think it's so cute," Misty said, placing her bag next to Kira's. "Don't you?"

"I'll take the time to look at it when I'm clean," Kira said as she disappeared into one of the shower stalls.

The girls took their time with their showers, thoroughly enjoying the hot water and fragrant soap. After carefully combing their hair, they gathered their dirty clothes and left the bathroom.

Ash was waiting for them in the laundry room. "Took you long enough," he said as they walked up. "Hope you saved some water for the fish."

Misty put her hands on her hips. "Well, excuse us for actually using soap and water."

"I use soap and water. And at least I don't smell like stinky flowers."

"I do not smell like flowers!"

"Do, too!"

"Do not!"

"Do, too!"

"Ok, that's enough," Kira said, interrupting them. "Ash, give me your dirty clothes so we can start the laundry and go eat."

Ash dug his clothes out of his backpack and handed them to Kira, who dropped them into a washing machine along with her's and Misty's things. She put in coins and started it, then followed the younger kids out of the room.

In the lobby, their attention was grabbed by a large poster on the wall. It showed someone holding a Poke Ball, surrounded by the various Pokemon League Gym badges. Above the picture, large letters spelled out "Pokemon League Regional Championships: Enter the Competition!"

"The Pokemon League Regional Championships!" Ash said dreamily. "All right! That would be so cool to enter." Misty laughed from behind him. "What's the matter?" he asked, turning to face her.

Misty pointed out the smaller print at the bottom of the poster. "To compete in the Regional Championships," she read, "Trainers must have a minimum of eight badges from League-approved Pokemon Gyms."

"What's that mean?"

Kira explained. "There are at least ten official Pokemon Gyms in Kanto, each one specializing in a different Pokemon type. A Trainer entering the Regional Championships needs to beat Gym Trainers from different towns and earn their badges as proof."

"Can _you_ do that?" Misty asked Ash.

Ash held up a fist. "Of course I can!"

"We should both enter, Ash. The competition will be good for us," Kira said. "We can start here. There's an official Gym here in town."

Someone chuckled behind them. The kids turned to see Flint walking up to them. "Don't tell me you plan on challenging Brock, the Pewter City Gym Leader," he said.

"Of course I do," Ash replied. "As soon as Pikachu and my other Pokemon are better, I'll have no problem. Take me to this Brock's Gym. I'll beat him!"

Kira put a hand on Ash's shoulder. "Why don't we go get something to eat first? You can beat Brock after lunch."

Flint chuckled again. "You'll beat him?" He continued laughing as he walked away.

Ash was about to run after him, but Kira's hand tightened on his shoulder. "Let it go, Ash," she said. "Come on. Let's go eat."

The kids left the Pokemon Center and found a small restaurant nearby. Once their orders arrived, they willingly dug in. Ash was still fuming over Flint's words. "Oh, that Flint," he said in between bites, "trying to make a fool out of me."

"Do you really think you can win?" Misty asked. She put down her fork and leaned forward. "Gym Leaders are different from your everyday Pokemon Trainers."

Kira took a drink from her glass of soda. "She's right. They're much, much tougher."

"I'll tell you what, Ash," Misty said. "If you ask me really nicely, I'll help you out."

"I don't need any help," Ash mumbled with a full mouth.

Misty was offended when her offer was rejected. "Is that so?" she said, standing up. "Fine with me. There's no way you'll beat Brock in the Pewter City Gym. Huh!" She snatched up her bag and marched out.

Kira hastily shoved a last bite into her mouth and ran after her. "Hey, wait for me!"

From behind them, they heard Ash complaining about being stuck with the bill. Both girls ignored him as they left the restaurant and started walking. Kira didn't know where they were going, but she knew that Misty needed time to cool off. After a few minutes, she asked if she was okay.

"Yeah," Misty replied. "It just irritates me that he thinks he knows everything. Brock fights with Rock Pokemon, and all of Ash's Pokemon are weak against them. He might actually win if he used some of mine."

"I know. But Ash has to do this his own way. Every Trainer does, you and me included."

Misty nodded. "Speaking of which, shouldn't you be heading to the Gym?"

Kira shrugged. "Not just yet. First, I need my Pokemon. Second, I can't go at the same time as Ash, so we may as well go pick up our Pokemon and check on the laundry."

"What do you mean you can't go at the same time as Ash?"

"League rules. If two Trainers arrive at a Gym at the same time, one has to wait outside until the match is complete. That way, the second challenger doesn't have an advantage by studying the Gym Leader's fighting style. Trainers competing for badges can only observe an official Gym match if they already have that Gym's badge."

"I see. That makes sense. It also explains why my sisters only faced one Trainer at a time."

The two girls took their time walking back to the Pokemon Center, enjoying the new sites of the city. Back at the Center, they collected their Pokemon from Nurse Joy, moved their clothes into a dryer, then decided to head for the Gym.

The large building was made of rough-hewn stone, giving it an intimidating feel. Kira swallowed and led the way inside to a large, dark room.

A light turned on at the other end of the room, revealing a young man seated on a boulder. He was about Kira's age. "Who goes there?" he asked.

Kira stepped forward. "Are you Brock?"

The young man nodded. "Are you here to challenge me?"

Kira nodded. "Yes. I'm Kira Oak, from Pallet Town."

Brock looked at Misty. "And you?"

"Uh, I'm Misty, but I'm just watching, not fighting," Misty said, taking a step back.

"There's a catwalk upstairs where you can watch the match." Brock motioned to a flight of stairs off to the side, then turned his attention back to Kira. Misty patted her shoulder and whispered good luck before climbing the stairs.

"Is this your first Gym match?" Brock asked.

Kira nodded. "Yes. And I'm aware that there are special conditions for Gym battles."

"We'll use two Pokemon each," Brock said, standing up. "You must win both rounds of the match in order to earn the Gym badge. Ready?"

Kira nodded and chose two Poke Balls as she took her place in the challenger's square. Brock snapped his fingers. Instantly, the overhead lights came on. Doors on either side of the room opened, revealing two halves of a rocky battle platform. The pieces moved together on motorized tracks, meeting in the middle.

Brock stepped into the Leader's square. "Let the match begin. Choose your first Pokemon."

Kira threw a Poke Ball. "I choose Sandshrew." With a flash of light, Sandshrew took the field. Ground was his natural environment, so Kira felt he was a good choice.

"Geodude, go!" Brock threw his Poke Ball. A Pokemon that looked like a boulder with a face and arms appeared on the field. For a moment, Kira wished she had borrowed one of Misty's Water Pokemon.

Brock made the first move. "Geodude, Rock Throw!" Geodude immediately started grabbing fist-sized rocks and throwing them at Sandshrew.

Kira thought quickly. "Sandshrew, Rapid Spin!" Sandshrew curled up in a ball and started spinning in place. As each one of Geodude's rocks hit him, it broke apart, shattered by the force of the spinning. She took in the situation. She was on the defensive and had to turn things around fast. Sandshrew couldn't keep spinning forever. She decided to use the spinning to her advantage. "Sandshrew, use Rollout!" Sandshrew continued spinning, but instead of staying in place, he began rolling toward Geodude.

"Geodude, Defensive Curl!" Brock shouted. Geodude immediately crossed his arms in front of his face and planted himself in Sandshrew's path. Sandshrew barely swerved in time to miss him. He made a hard turn, hoping to catch Geodude in the back, but Geodude was quicker than he looked. He spun on the spot and braced himself again. This time, Sandshrew couldn't turn in time. He hit Geodude full force and bounced into the air.

"Now use Seismic Toss, Geodude!"

Geodude, unfazed by the impact, launched himself into the air and grabbed Sandshrew before he could uncurl. Kira watched helplessly as her Pokemon was thrown down hard enough to make the ground vibrate.

Sandshrew got to his feet, but he was wobbly. _I have to figure something out fast or Sandshrew is going to lose_ , Kira thought. Sandshrew was no match for Geodude's strength. But he _was_ faster.

"Sandshrew, use Rollout again! Look for an opening!" She really hoped her plan would work.

Sandshrew began rolling in circles around Geodude, looking for a weak spot. Geodude tried to keep facing him, but as Sandshrew began picking up speed, he fell behind. Within minutes, he was too dizzy to keep track of his opponent.

"It worked! Sandshrew, close in and tackle!"

As Sandshrew rolled toward Geodude, Brock yelled for his Pokemon to get out of the way. But it was no use. Geodude was still too dizzy. Sandshrew closed the gap and uncurled in time to hit Geodude squarely in the face. Geodude flew across the arena and crashed into the wall. He was out.

Brock held out a Poke Ball. "Geodude, return." The stunned Pokemon disappeared. "You handle your Pokemon well. But the match isn't over yet." He threw another Poke Ball. "Onix, go!"

Onix appeared on the field. It looked like a giant snake made of rocks. Kira called Sandshrew back and brought out Mankey. Again, speed was on her side. Onix tried to tackle Mankey, but the smaller Pokemon nimbly dodged the attacks, leaping from rock to rock.

"Onix, Bind it!" Brock called.

Kira knew that if Onix's powerful tail caught Mankey, the match was over. "Mankey, High Jump Kick!"

Mankey jumped into the air, narrowly missing Onix's tail. He came down hard on Onix's back, then jumped again, this time kicking him in the face. Even though he was much smaller, his attacks were more effective against Rock Pokemon like Onix.

"Mankey, use Rock Smash!"

Mankey jumped again, but Onix whacked him with his tail before he could get close. Mankey flew through the air. But instead of falling back to the ground, he grabbed the rafters and started swinging from them.

Kira grinned. "Yeah, Mankey! Grab a rock and use Seismic Toss!"

Mankey dropped to the ground and grabbed a large rock. Then he jumped over Onix's head and threw the rock as hard as he could. The rock hit Onix on the side of the head, and he roared. He tried again to tackle Mankey, but he was too slow. Mankey was practically dancing around him and pelting him with rocks. The battle continued like that for several minutes as Mankey threw rock after rock. Onix managed to avoid some of them, but the majority found their mark. By the time the last one hit, Onix was furious. With a roar loud enough vibrate the building, he dove straight at Mankey.

Mankey watched him come at him with all the speed and power of a freight train. Before Kira could call out any orders, Mankey leapt aside. Onix rammed full speed into one of the largest rock formations on the field.

"Onix, behind you!" Brock yelled.

The huge Pokemon was dazed, but he turned around in time to see Mankey's fist just before it hit him squarely between the eyes. Onix had finally had enough and collapsed. The match was over.

Kira breathed a sigh of relief as Misty cheered from the catwalk above. Brock called Onix back and Mankey sat heavily on the floor next to Kira. Brock flipped a switch on the wall, causing the battle stage to retract. As soon as there was enough room to walk, he stepped toward Kira.

"Well done," he said. "Your Pokemon skills are impressive." He held out a hand. "You've earned this Boulder badge."

Kira looked down at the small silver Gym badge in his hand and grinned as she accepted it. This was her first step toward the Pokemon League. "Thanks, Brock. Thanks a lot."

Misty walked up and patted Kira's shoulder. "Congratulations, Kira. That was fantastic."

Brock nodded. "It really was, Kira. Even though I lost, I admire your skills. But then, I would expect nothing less from the granddaughter of Professor Oak."

Kira shrugged and changed the subject, hastily bending to pick up Mankey. "Thanks for the great battle, Brock. Now I've got to get these guys checked out and make sure that they're okay."

The girls said goodbye to Brock and left the Gym. Once they were outside in the bright sunlight, Kira held up the badge to examine it. It was about an inch in diameter and was shaped like a boulder. It was made of silver and had a pin on the back.

"Can I see it?" Misty asked. Kira handed it over. Misty looked it over, then handed it back. "It's beautiful, but let me ask you something. Why did you leave so suddenly when Brock talked about your grandfather?"

Kira tucked the badge in her pocket for safekeeping. "I love my grandpa more than anyone, but I don't want to rely on his reputation. I want to build my own. I want to be known as me, not just as Professor Oak's granddaughter."

Misty nodded. "I know the feeling. My sisters are the same way. Everyone knows who they are, but I'm just the annoying little sister. That's why I left. So I could be my own person. Is that why you decided to try for the Pokemon League?"

"Yeah, I thought that it would be a good way for me to step out of Grandpa's shadow."

Misty nodded again. "Going back to the previous subject, what are you going to do with your badge? Keep it in your backpack?"

Kira took out the badge again and looked at it. "Well, I know a lot of Pokemon store sell badge cases, so I guess I'm going shopping. I should probably stock up on supplies, anyway." She shifted Mankey to her other arm. "But first, we have to stop by the Pokemon Center."

The girls dropped Mankey and Sandshrew off at the Pokemon Center, collected their clean clothes, then walked the streets until they found a small department store. Inside, shelves and displays were filled with varying types of Poke Balls, Pokemon care supplies, toys, books, and accessories. They wandered up and down the aisles for a while, looking at the merchandise and making selections, then found a small section in the back with various types and styles of badge cases. Kira searched the selection until she found one she liked.

The wooden box was about the size of a pencil case and had a hinged lid. Inside, a piece of black velvet lined the bottom, with small indentations for badges. There was enough room for eight badges, the minimum requirement for the Pokemon League. The section beneath the lid held a spot for the Trainer's photo and contact information.

Kira added the case to the basket of Pokemon food, Poke Balls, and medicines that they had already gathered. The two girls looked around the store for a while longer before paying for their selections. They took the bags to a nearby park and packed the items in their backpacks. Kira admired the badge in the case for a moment before putting it away, then they got some dinner at another restaurant near the Pokemon Center.

Kira's Pokemon weren't quite ready by the time they finished eating, so Kira looked around for something else to do. Her eyes fell on the phone booths in the corner. "I'm gonna call Grandpa, let him know how we're doing," she said.

Misty looked around, hands in her pockets. "I'll just wait here, then, I guess."

Kira grinned. "Come with me. My grandpa is really nice. It's not like he's going to reach through the phone and bite you."

"It's not that," Misty said, shaking her head. "I just don't want to intrude on your time with your family."

Kira put an arm around the younger girl's shoulders. "I know Grandpa would love to meet you, so come on." She led Misty over to the phone and dialed.

Professor Oak answered after a couple of rings. "Kira, my dear! I was just wondering how you were doing, sweetheart. Who's your friend?"

"This is Misty. We've been traveling together with Ash."

"Really? And how is he doing? Has he managed to catch any new Pokemon yet?"

"Well, he's got a Butterfree and a Pidgeotto now," Kira said.

Misty leaned forward. "Although he caught them both through sheer dumb luck."

Professor Oak shook his head. "That doesn't surprise me. Frankly, I admit I had some doubts about him. Does he still have trouble with his Pikachu?"

"No, actually. He and Pikachu are best friends now," Kira replied.

Professor Oak rubbed his chin. "Hmm, interesting. And what about you, Miss Misty? What kind of Pokemon do you have, if I may ask?"

"Sure," Misty replied. "I use Water Pokemon. They're my absolute favorite. I have Staryu, Starmie, and Goldeen."

"Excellent," Professor Oak said, nodding. "Focusing on one type of Pokemon allows you to really see all of the strengths and weaknesses of that type. Where are you from?"

"Cerulean City."

"Ah, that explains your preference for Water Pokemon." He turned his attention back to his granddaughter. "And how are you, sweetheart? Are you doing all right? Are you taking care of yourself?" He looked closely into the camera.

Kira smiled. "I'm fine. I've caught a Weedle since I last talked to you."

"Really? Well done. That makes six now, I believe. Keep up the good work. By the way, where are you calling from?"

"Pewter City, and I've-"

"Oh, did you stop by and see the Pokemon Gym?"

Kira sighed. "That's what I'm trying to say. Ash and I both decided to enter the Pokemon League, so we're going to earn the badges we need to enter. I've already battled Brock, the Gym Leader here, and got a Boulder badge."

Professor Oak grinned broadly and slapped his desk. "Congratulations, my dear! Very impressive! I knew you would do well!"

Professor Oak's praise made Kira smile. "Thanks. Have you heard from Gary?"

Professor Oak shook his head. "Not since we spoke in Viridian City. I'm sure he's alright, though. He's just as capable as you are."

"Yeah, but I would feel better if I knew how he was doing. I haven't talked to him since we left home."

"He'll be fine, my dear. But if he calls me, I'll be sure to let you know."

"Thanks," Kira said. Misty tapped her on the shoulder and pointed at the counter, where Nurse Joy held a tray with Kira's Poke Balls. "I've got to go, Grandpa. My Pokemon are ready."

"Alright, I'll let you go. It was very nice to meet you, Misty."

Misty waved at the camera. "You, too, Professor."

"Kira, be careful out there. Call me at the next Pokemon Center. I love you, dear."

"Love you, too, Grandpa," Kira said before hanging up.

The girls stood up. "You were right," Misty said. "Your grandpa is really nice."

Kira threw her backpack over her shoulder. "Told you. I hope Ash appreciates him, too."

As they walked over to the counter, Misty looked around. "Where _is_ Ash, anyway?"

Kira shrugged as she accepted her Poke Balls from Nurse Joy. "I haven't seen him since lunch. Don't worry, he'll turn up."

Nurse Joy handed the tray to a Chansey. "I think your friend went somewhere with that gentleman who brought you here."

"Flint? Hmm. Where'd they go?" Misty asked.

"I'm not sure, but I think I heard them mention the hydroelectric plant on the edge of town," Nurse Joy replied.

Kira got directions to the plant and the two girls left the Pokemon Center as the sun set. As they walked along the river, Kira noticed the water level getting lower and lower. By the time the plant came into view, the river bed was almost completely dry.

They found Ash outside the building, walking on the old waterwheel to make it turn. "Um, Ash," Kira said, "what are you doing?"

Ash glanced over his shoulder at them. "I'm creating electricity to power up Pikachu."

Kira shook her head. "I'm guessing you didn't win your match."

"Hey, Ash, wouldn't it be a lot better to just ask me for help instead of going with this crazy power plan of yours?" Misty asked.

Ash shook his head and kept walking. "Forget it. I'll win without your help. I'm going to get a badge all by myself using the Pokemon I'm training!"

Seeing that his mind was made up, Kira put a hand on Misty's shoulder. "Come on. We can wait for him back at the Pokemon Center." She looked up at Ash. "Make sure you're back by curfew."

"He's so stubborn," Misty said as they walked away. "It'd be a lot easier if he used some of my Pokemon, too."

Kira thought for a moment. "Actually, if you think about it, he's right. It wouldn't mean as much if he used someone else's Pokemon. It'd be like buying something with someone else's money. You know what I mean?"

Misty looked back at the plant. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

They walked back to the Pokemon Center in silence, each absorbed in her own thoughts. Misty was worrying about Ash's upcoming battle. Kira was wondering what their next step would be and whether or not she would see her brother along the way. The moon rose silently overhead, lighting their way as they walked.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Ash came back just before curfew and the kids spent the night at the Pokemon Center. Ash was full of confidence, so they returned to the Gym shortly after breakfast. Since Kira already had the badge, she was allowed to go in and watch the match.

Ash threw the doors open. "I'm back!" he announced. Pikachu's cheeks crackled. Apparently, whatever powering up they had done at the plant the night before had really helped.

Brock stood up. "Haven't you learned your lesson yet?"

"We're ready for you this time, Brock!"

"Pi, Pikachu!" Pikachu agreed.

"We'll see," Brock said as he took his position.

Kira and Misty watched from the catwalk as the battle stage rolled out. "Do you think he has a chance?" Misty asked.

Kira shook her head. "To be perfectly honest, not really. Electric Pokemon just aren't strong against Rock Pokemon."

Brock started with Geodude. Ash sent out Pidgeotto. Kira knew that Flying Pokemon were weak against Rock and Ground Pokemon, so she wasn't expecting good results.

"Go, Pidgeotto! Gust Attack!" Ash called.

Pidgeotto flapped his wings rapidly, kicking up the dust on the field. For a few minutes, no one could see anything, but it sounded like Pidgeotto was putting up a good fight. When the dust settled, Ash was surprised to see that Geodude was unaffected by the attack. He was swinging his fists at Pidgeotto, trying to knock the other Pokemon out of the air.

"Bad strategy," Brock said. "Don't you know Flying Pokemon are weak against Rock types?"

"Oh...guess I forgot..." Ash muttered.

Up on the catwalk, Kira rolled her eyes while Misty leaned over the railing and yelled, "Come on, Ash, use your head!" A group of little kids joined them and watched the match.

Below, one of Geodude's punches finally made contact and knocked Pidgeotto out of the battle. Ash called him back.

"Are you giving up _again_ , Ash?" Brock taunted.

"No way! Pikachu, I choose you!" Ash yelled. Pikachu nodded and leapt into action.

Brock shook his head. "The Pikachu again. I feel sorry for it, being raised by such a weak Pokemon Trainer."

Ash growled at the insult. "Pikachu, now's our chance to show him how weak we are!" Pikachu let loose with a massive Thunderbolt attack. The lightning strike hit Geodude squarely in the face and was strong enough to cause a small explosion. When the smoke cleared, everyone could see a crater in the rocky stage, with a fried Geodude in the center.

Brock was stunned, but he stayed calm and called his Pokemon back. The score was now one to one. "It looks like you've trained it better," he said, "but it's still no match for Onix!" He threw his second Poke Ball. Onix took the field with a mighty roar.

Pikachu looked terrified. He started throwing Thunderbolts again, but he was too scared to aim them properly. One nearly hit Ash, while others destroyed rocks or light fixtures. Only a couple actually hit Onix.

"Hey, Pikachu, watch where you're aiming," Ash said.

Pikachu stopped attacking just in time for Onix to Bind him with his powerful tail. Ash ordered Pikachu to use his Thunderbolt again. Kira didn't think it was going to work, but Ash and Pikachu's training paid off. The Thunderbolt was powerful enough to really hurt Onix.

"Hang in there, Pikachu! It's working!" Ash called.

But Pikachu couldn't keep it up for long. Onix's Bind was too strong. Kira could see Ash struggling with whether or not he should forfeit the match.

"Onix, stop."

Everyone looked in surprise as Brock ordered his Pokemon to release Pikachu. He looked concerned about the other Pokemon.

Ash shook his head. "No, Brock. I want to play this match to the end."

"There's no point in going on. I really don't want to hurt your Pokemon."

Ash groaned and sighed. He knew he was defeated. Before he could say anything, Kira heard a crackling noise and looked up as Misty gasped. One of the destroyed lights had caught fire and the flames were starting to reach the ceiling. An alarm sounded and the sprinkler turned on to extinguish the flames.

Onix roared as the water hit him. Misty leaned over the railing. "Ash! Rock Pokemon are weakened by water!"

Kira slapped a hand over her mouth to silence her. "I know you want to help Ash, but the match-" She was interrupted by a terrible roar as Pikachu attacked the weakened Onix. Onix fell over and lay shuddering as the sprinklers shut off.

Kira shook her head. "That shouldn't be fair. The sprinklers going off wasn't supposed to happen."

Misty looked at her. "Don't you want Ash to win?"

"Yes. But first of all, the match isn't officially over, so we're not supposed to help him. Second, those sprinklers going off was an accident. You're allowed to use your environment, but those are a safety measure, not a weapon." Neither girl noticed that the little kids around them had disappeared.

They heard Ash yell, "Pikachu, finish it off!" and looked down in time to see the kids swarm him. There must have been nearly a dozen of them, all grabbing Ash to keep him from finishing the battle.

"You leave Onix alone!" one little boy yelled.

A little girl hanging onto his leg said, "Our brother worked hard to raise him, you big bully!"

"Believe me, kid, I'm no bully," Ash told her.

"Stop it. Get off, all of you," Brock ordered. "This is an official match, and we're going to finish it, no matter what!"

None of the kids let go. "But Brock," a girl clinging to Ash's shoulder said, "we know that you love your Pokemon so much."

A boy on the opposite shoulder finished the thought. "That's why we can't watch Onix suffer from another attack!"

The Gym was quiet for a moment. Then Ash ordered Pikachu to come back. "What do you think you're doing?" Brock asked. "This match isn't over yet, Ash."

Ash disentangled himself from Brock's brothers and sisters. "Those sprinklers going off was just an accident. Winning the match because of that wouldn't have proved anything. Next time we meet, I'll beat you my way, fair and square." He turned and left the Gym.

Misty sighed. "Just when he finally gets a lucky break, he decides to be a nice guy."

Kira patted her shoulder. "Would you rather he be a nice guy and play fair, or the alternative?"

"But he needs all the help he can get."

"Give him a break, Misty. He's not totally incompetent."

"No, just mostly."

Kira sighed. Now that the battle was over, Misty had stopped worrying and was back to her old self. "Considering the fact that he was at a major type disadvantage, he did pretty well. Besides, he was nice about not taking advantage of the sprinkler fluke. I think he made the right decision. Come on. Let's go catch up to him and figure out our next move."

They walked down the stairs, but there was no one there. Brock's family had left and there was no sign of him anywhere. Misty suggested they wait at the Pokemon Center for Ash, so they headed there.

As it turned out, both Ash and Brock had beaten them there. The two were standing in front of the building with Flint. Flint had removed his hat and pulled off what they could now see was a fake beard. He looked just like Brock, only older.

As they got closer, they heard Brock say "...you sure it's okay if I go with you on your Pokemon journey?"

Ash nodded. "Sure, I'm sure. The more, the merrier. And it'll be good to have somebody to talk with."

"Hey, guys. What's going on?" Kira asked as they walked up.

Ash grinned at her. "Brock's going to come with us on our journey."

"Really?" She turned to Brock. "Who's going to take over the Gym?"

"And what about your little brothers and sisters?" Misty asked.

Brock motioned to Flint. "My father's going to stay and look after them. And manage the Gym."

"Your father?!" Misty said.

"You're Brock's father?" Kira asked Flint.

Flint looked ashamed. "I tried to become a Pokemon Master years ago and failed. I was too ashamed to come back and tell my family. Now it's time for me to take responsibility."

"It's always been my dream to become a Pokemon Breeder," Brock said. "I get more pleasure out of raising Pokemon than battling them, but I've never been able to pursue my dream because I had to take care of my family."

Flint put a hand on his son's shoulder. "Now you can, son."

Brock looked at the kids. "I need a few hours to get my stuff together and say my goodbyes. I'll meet you back here."

As Flint and Brock walked away, Ash opened his jacket. "Look. Brock gave me a Boulder badge because he said I was kind to Pokemon." He had pinned the badge to the inside lining of his jacket.

"He just gave it to you?" Misty asked. "That doesn't seem fair."

"Technically, they should have a rematch since the battle got messed up by the sprinklers," Kira said a little stiffly. She didn't agree with Ash getting a badge without battling for it, but how a badge was earned was up to the Gym Leader.

Misty noticed Kira's attitude. "Hey, you okay?"

Kira shrugged. "It's nothing."

Ash didn't seem to notice. He was polishing his badge and making sure it was in a spot where he could show it off easily. Misty and Kira moved away and Misty asked again what was wrong.

Kira crossed her arms. "It's nothing, really. It just doesn't sit well with me that Brock just gave him the badge. It doesn't seem like he earned it, to me." She shrugged and forced a smile. "But it's not up to me. Brock felt like he deserved it, so I'm happy for Ash."

Misty nodded. "Maybe he gave it to him out of pity. I would have."

Kira smiled for real. "No, you would have made him earn it. And then you would have rubbed it in if he didn't win."

"Maybe, but that's only because I'm a better Trainer than he is."

Kira put a hand on her shoulder. "I know. And hopefully, you, Brock, and I will rub off on Ash and he'll get better."

The kids waited at the Pokemon Center for several hours until Brock came back. He had a large backpack and was ready to go. After dinner, they set out with their new friend and ally. Kira was glad to have someone else to referee the fighting between Ash and Misty. As they left Pewter City behind them, Misty reminded Ash yet again about the bike he owed her. Ash started running to try to lose her, but Misty followed. Kira and Brock looked at each other, shook their heads, and hurried to keep up.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: sorry, this is another really long chapter, but I couldn't find a reasonable place to break it up.**

Chapter 9

After spending the night in the woods, the kids continued walking in the direction of Cerulean City. Kira looked at her map to figure out the best way to get there. "Hey, this trail takes us right past the foot of Mt. Moon," she said.

"I've heard a lot of strange tales about that mountain," Brock said.

Misty sighed. "Mt. Moon. Doesn't the name sound romantic?"

"Yeah, it sounds like something from a fairy tale," Kira said, grinning.

Brock pointed at the top of the mountain. "People say that a huge meteor crashed into the mountain back in prehistoric times."

"A meteor, huh?" Ash said.

"Is it really true?" Misty asked.

Brock shrugged. "They say the meteor is called the Moon Stone."

"Now that's romantic!" Misty said with another sigh.

Kira was about to say something, but she was cut off by a scream from further up the path. The group started running toward the sound. As they came around a bend, they saw what the trouble was.

A group of bat-like Pokemon were fluttering around a man cowering on the ground. They were screeching and diving at him, searching for some bare skin to bite.

"Look! It's a bunch of Zubat!" Ash said.

"They're attacking that guy!" Misty yelled. "He needs our help!"

Ash nodded. "You're right. Pikachu, Thundershock!"

Pikachu, who had been sleeping on Ash's backpack, leapt toward the Zubat. His Thundershock hit the first one, then leapt from Pokemon to Pokemon. When the electricity faded, the Zubat scattered. Most flew into a cave behind them, but a couple flew off in different directions.

The man the Zubat had been attacking lay whimpering on the ground. Ash ran up to him. "Are you okay?"

The man jumped up and grabbed Ash. "Wow! You guys are the greatest!" he said as he pulled Ash and Pikachu into a crushing hug.

"Really, it was nothing," Ash said, trying to break free.

"I'm talking superfabtabulastic! I mean, two thumbs up! Way up! The best rescue I've ever had!" The man continued gushing as the other kids walked up.

Pikachu was caught between Ash and the man crushing him, and he didn't like it. He shocked them both with an electric attack and leapt out of Ash's arms as they both fell over.

The man sat up and adjusted his glasses. "They say man's best friend is a Pokemon, and with you two, I believe it."

"Oh, that's nice," Ash said.

"I'm so moved! Such friendship I thought I'd never see, when the Zubat began attacking me. I thought I was done for when who should arrive? Two heroes thanks to whom I'm alive!"

Kira leaned over to Misty. "Why is he speaking in rhymes?"

"I have no idea," Misty replied. "He certainly doesn't look like the poetic type."

"Did I mention how grateful I am?" the man asked.

"Uh, yeah," Ash said.

"Quite a few times, actually," Kira added.

"Anyway, why were the Zubat attacking you, mister?" Ash asked.

The man leaned close. "Never call me 'mister!' My name's Seymour! Seymour the Scientist!" He held up his hands. "Knowledge! Research! I'm Seymour the Scientist!"

The kids stared at him blankly. Seymour sighed and motioned to the cave entrance. Inside, the kids could see bare light bulbs hanging from the ceiling. "See," he said, "the cave is all lit up inside. Somebody has strung these lights through the whole cave."

"Let's go take a look," Ash said. He and Misty followed Seymour into the cave.

Kira was about to go with them, but a fluttering noise caught her attention. She followed the sound around a few rocks and found a couple of Zubat that hadn't flown into the cave. They were flying around and running into the mountainside. Kira knew that Zubat were blind, and figured these were looking for the cave entrance.

Brock came up beside her. "The Zubat are confused. They can't tell if it's night or day. I'm afraid they might hurt themselves."

Kira nodded. "That's what I was thinking. We should catch them before they hurt themselves or each other."

Brock nodded and they each took out a Poke Ball. The Zubat were already weakened, so Kira ordered Weedle to attack one of them. Weedle used Tackle to try to knock it out of the air, but missed. The Zubat finally noticed him and screeched. It attacked, but it was still confused. It tried several times to dive at Weedle, but it couldn't seem to figure out exactly where Weedle was.

Kira had to figure out something before the Zubat seriously hurt itself. "Weedle, move in front of the mountain!"

Weedle crawled into position just as the Zubat swooped again. This time, though, it was right on target. Weedle waited for Kira's order and ducked just in time. The Zubat flew over him and crashed straight into the mountainside. It fell to the ground, dazed.

Kira saw her chance and threw a Poke Ball. The weakened Zubat didn't have any fight left in him and the ball barely wiggled for a second before the button flashed.

She sighed in relief and picked up both the Poke Ball and Weedle. Brock was just finishing capturing the other Zubat. Kira put Weedle on her shoulder as he picked up his Poke Ball and came to join her.

"I'm glad that's done," he said. "Now these guys can rest and figure out where they are."

Kira agreed and clipped the ball to her belt. "We should catch up with the others."

They got back to the cave entrance in time to see Misty, Ash, and Seymour coming out to look for them. Misty was the first to see them. "Where were you guys?" she asked.

"I heard something and we went to go check it out," Kira explained. "Turned out to be just a couple of Zubat."

"Well, come on," Ash said. "We're going to see where this cave leads."

The group followed Seymour into the cave again. "As I was saying, the Pokemon in this cave need the dark. These lights are upsetting them and making them confused."

Brock nodded. "Which is probably why the Zubat left the cave and attacked you."

Seymour motioned to some Pokemon nearby. "Look here. These Paras are planting their mushrooms everywhere, and the hot lights are drying up these Sandshrew."

Kira patted Weedle. "These poor Pokemon."

"That's why I'm here," Seymour said, "on patrol to protect the mountain from the troublemakers' attack against these caves."

"Troublemakers?" Misty asked. "Why attack a cave?"

Seymour stopped walking and turned to face them. "I'm afraid it's because of the Moon Stone."

"The Moon Stone?" Ash asked.

"Exactly." Seymour closed his eyes and started talking in rhymes again. "The Moon Stone is an awesome boulder, a million years old or even older! Deep in these caves the meteor hides, though no explorer has found the place of the legendary rock from space! We've studied it's fragments for many an hour, and discovered it increases a Pokemon's power! And that is why the attackers are here! They've come to take the Moon Stone, or so I fear!"

Kira glanced up at the light bulbs. "That's why they put the lighting in, so they could search for the Moon Stone."

Seymour nodded. "Ever since I was a little boy, I've believed that the Pokemon come to Earth from outer space."

"From outer space?" the kids said together.

"Yes. And where, you ask, is the spacecraft that brought them to Earth? In this cave! It's the Moon Stone!"

"I think this guy is from outer space," Kira whispered to Misty.

"It sure is an original theory," Misty whispered back.

"Don't you see?" Seymour asked. "It means the Moon Stone belongs to the Pokemon! We humans must not take it from them!" He grabbed Ash's hands. "You agree with me, don't you?"

"Uh-huh, uh-huh," Ash said. "Now can you please let go of me?"

Before Seymour could answer, a small pink Pokemon bounced by. "Clefairy, Clefairy," it said.

"That looks like a Clefairy," Brock said.

Misty gasped. "It's so cute!"

"I've never seen one in person before," Kira said quietly. "Trainers love them because they're adorable and because they can store moonlight in the wings on their backs. They're thought to live on quiet mountains like this, but they're nearly impossible to find."

As took out his Pokedex and pointed it at the retreating Clefairy. "Clefairy," it said. "This impish Pokemon is friendly and peaceful. It is believed to live inside Mt. Moon, although very few have ever been seen by humans."

Ash eagerly put Dexter away and pulled out a Poke Ball. "I gotta catch it!"

Seymour grabbed his wrist. "You can't!"

"Huh?"

"Sorry, but it's best if you just let it stay here. I hope you understand."

Ash looked disappointed for a moment, then nodded. "Sure, Seymour," he said as he put away his Poke Ball. "I understand."

Suddenly, the Clefairy screamed from further down the tunnel. The group looked at each other in alarm, then hurried in its they reached Clefairy, they immediately saw the trouble. Meowth was standing menacingly on a ledge.

"It's Meowth!" Ash shouted.

"Meowth! What are you doing here?" Meowth growled.

"Looking for troublemakers like you," Ash replied.

Kira returned Weedle to his a Poke Ball. She had the feeling a battle was about to break out, and she didn't want him getting hurt. He just wasn't strong enough to face an opponent like Meowth.

While Pikachu ran over to make sure Clefairy was okay, Ash kept talking. "So, Team Rocket is causing all the trouble around here. What a surprise."

"Who's Team Rocket?" Brock asked.

"Pokemon thieves," Kira replied. "We've run into them before."

Brock held up a fist. "Then we've got to stop them before they start any more trouble."

"Trouble?" a woman's voice asked from the shadows.

"Make that double," a man's voice added.

The kids looked around. Ash, Misty, and Kira recognized those voices. Sure enough, Jessie and James stepped out of the shadows behind Meowth and started reciting their motto.

"To protect the world from devastation," Jessie started.

"To unite all peoples within our nation."

"To denounce the evils of truth and love."

"To extend our reach to the stars above."

"Jessie!"

"James!"

"Team Rocket! Blast off at the speed of light!"

"Surrender now or prepare to fight!"

Meowth jumped up between them. "Meowth, that's right!"

Kira rolled her eyes. "Are you guys going to recite that every time we run into you?"

"They sure are show-offs," Seymour observed.

"Don't you guys ever get tired of saying the same things over and over again?" Ash asked.

Jessie rested a shovel against her shoulder. "You're just jealous, boy."

"Because we won't let you join us," James said. He had a pick axe in his hands.

"I'd never join up with you!" Ash yelled.

"Like we'd actually want to," Kira said scornfully.

Brock pointed at them. "You put the lights in this cave. It's your fault the Pokemon who live here are so confused!"

Jessie didn't seem bothered. "What a shame!" she said mockingly.

"How will we ever forgive ourselves?" James asked sarcastically.

Meowth crossed his arms. "We want to get our hands on the Moon Stone so we can power up our Pokemon with it!"

"With the Moon Stone in our hands, nothing will stop us!" Jessie said, giving them a thumbs up.

"We won't let you get away with it!" Ash yelled.

"You want a rock, take one of these," Brock said, gesturing to the loose rocks on the cave floor. "Then get lost!"

"Get lost? How rude," Jessie said.

James took out his Poke Ball. "Let's teach him some manners." They tossed their equipment aside and got ready to attack.

Ash, Kira, and Brock took out their own Poke Balls. "Keep an eye on Seymour and Clefairy," Ash told Misty. "Make a run for it when you get the chance."

"We'll take care of these rejects," Kira said.

Misty nodded. "Right."

"Ready or not!" Team Rocket said in unison as they attacked.

They sent out Ekans and Koffing. Ash sent out Butterfree, while Brock chose his new Zubat. Kira chose Rattata.

"A Zubat!" Ash exclaimed.

Brock nodded. "Kira and I each caught one just before we entered the cave."

Ash hung his head. "Aww. I shoulda caught one."

"Worry about that later, Ash. We've got bigger problems," Kira said.

"Koffing, Smog Attack!" James ordered. Koffing released a cloud of smoke toward the kids' Pokemon.

"Butterfree, Whirlwind now!" Ash yelled.

"Zubat! Double Team now!" Brock ordered.

Both Pokemon started flapping their wings rapidly, blowing the smog back at Team Rocket. While they were blinded by the smoke, Misty grabbed Seymour and ran. "Quick! Now's our chance!"

Suddenly, Koffing and Ekans broke through the cloud of smoke. Ekans grabbed Butterfree with his mouth while Koffing tackled Zubat. Rattata jumped and landed on Ekans' back, forcing him to release Butterfree. Zubat was still a little stunned, but Brock yelled for his Pokemon to hang on, then ordered him to use his Supersonic attack. The high-pitched squeal caused Ekans and Koffing to become confused and start attacking each other.

Ash took advantage of the distraction and ordered Butterfree to use Whirlwind. The powerful winds threw Team Rocket off balance. Kira ordered Rattata to attack. Rattata ran toward them and tackled Ekans and Koffing, knocking them into Jessie and James. Butterfree's Whirlwind blew them out of sight.

Once they were gone, Ash gave Brock and Kira each a high five. "We did it! Yeah!" he exclaimed.

"Great job, guys," Kira said.

"Yeah, excellent teamwork," Brock agreed.

Kira picked up Rattata and looked around. "Wait a second. Aren't we forgetting something?"

The boys looked around and Brock said, "Where's Meowth?"

Rattata started squirming in Kira's arms. Kira quickly put him down and he took off. Kira thought he was trying to hide somewhere, but he stopped and squealed for her to follow. Kira waved to the boys. "Come on!"

They followed Rattata through the cave and out into the sunshine. He led them down a hill and they rounded a corner just in time to see Meowth go flying by. Misty, Seymour, and Clefairy were sitting in the stream in front of them, and Misty's Staryu was using its Water Gun on Meowth.

As Meowth disappeared from sight, Misty waved. "Bye, Meowth, have a nice drip!" she called. She returned Staryu to the Poke Ball as the others ran up.

"Is everybody all right?" Ash asked.

Misty nodded with a smug look. "We won't be bothered by Meowth anymore thanks to Misty the Mighty!"

Kira picked up Rattata. "Nice job." She noticed that the sun was starting to go down. "We should probably stop here for dinner."

The other kids agreed and set their packs down. They brought out their Pokemon and started feeding and tending them. Ash noticed Brock give a chunk of something to his Zubat. "What's that?" he asked.

Brock held up the can. "This is Pokemon food made from my own secret recipe. The ingredients are specially blended for each Pokemon."

"So each Pokemon gets a different food?"

"That's right," Brock said. "Different Pokemon need different amounts of different vitamins and things in order to be healthy."

Kira took out her own can of Pokemon food and started feeding her Pokemon. "A lot of Trainers, particularly the ones who don't travel a lot, make their own food. For Trainers who do travel a lot, though, like us, it's usually easier and more practical to use a more generic type of food, like the store-bought stuff."

Misty cocked her head. "So what you're saying is Pokemon who stay in one place are healthier than Pokemon who travel."

"Not exactly," Kira said, shaking her head. "The store-bought food usually has all of the basic ingredients that all Pokemon need. It's more generic, so it's easier for traveling trainers to use since they don't have to pack several different types, not to mention the ingredients and equipment to make them. And a Pokemon that stays in one place may or may not be healthier. It all depends on whether or not they're getting the proper nutrients."

"Do you make your own Pokemon food?" Ash asked.

Kira handed a handful of food to Mankey. "When I'm at home, yes. Grandpa taught me how to study my Pokemon and mix the proper kind of food for them. But when I'm traveling, I'll either buy some at a store, or have Grandpa send me some."

"That's why you tell him what Pokemon you've caught," Misty guessed, "so he can mix the food ahead of time and send it to you when you need it."

Kira shook her head. "Actually, I just tell him because I know he's curious. But that is a good side benefit."

Brock handed the can to Ash. "Here, Ash. See how Butterfree likes it."

Ash took out a chunk of the food and handed it to Butterfree. The Pokemon took it eagerly and started nibbling away. "How's it taste?" Ash asked, earning an enthusiastic squeal in response.

Brock took the can back. "I've been developing it for years. I keep improving on the recipe. I'll make a batch for Pikachu."

"I'll try some," Seymour said, reaching into the can. He took a bite. "Mmm. Not bad."

Kira and Misty both gagged at the idea, while Ash said, "Really? Let me taste." He popped a small chunk in his mouth, then choked and promptly spit it out.

The others laughed while Ash washed his mouth out in the stream. "You may not like it, but the Pokemon sure do," Brock said.

Misty leaned over to Kira. "The Pokemon and Seymour."

Kira snickered, causing Brock to look in their direction. "I've been meaning to ask, Kira. What was it like growing up with Professor Oak?"

Seymour leaned forward excitedly. "You know Professor Oak?"

Kira turned red and looked down, uncomfortable at suddenly becoming the center of attention. Again. She decided to answer Seymour's question first. "Professor Oak is my grandfather."

"Oh, wow," Seymour gushed. "That's amazing! I mean, super incredible! What's he like? I mean, really like?"

Kira shrugged. "Well, he's one of the nicest people I've ever met, but my opinion is a little biased. Um, he's incredibly smart, but he's a little absent-minded at times." She turned to Brock. "I think it was great growing up with him. He's taught me so much. And not just about Pokemon, but about everything. About life in general. He taught me to never doubt myself, that I can do anything as long as I believe in myself." She looked next to her at Rattata and smiled as she stroked his fur. "And my Pokemon. He always says that knowledge is powerful, and knowing that he's back home, that he believes in me, gives me the power to believe in myself and keep going on this journey."

The others were silent for a moment after she finished speaking. They could hear her affection for her grandfather in her voice. Ash changed the subject when he noticed Pikachu and Clefairy deep in conversation.

"Pikachu makes friends so easily," he said, nodding toward the two Pokemon. "I wonder what they're talking about?"

Pikachu noticed the group looking at them and stood up. "Pika, pi!" he cried.

"What's up, Pikachu?" Ash asked.

Clefairy leapt from the Rock and bounced off down the path with Pikachu right behind it. The kids hastily put their Pokemon away, grabbed their packs, and hurried to follow. "Whatever it is," Kira said as she scooped up Rattata, "they want us to follow them really badly."

The sun set and the moon rose as Clefairy and Pikachu led them further up the mountain. Ash was starting to get winded. "Pikachu, where on earth are you taking us?"

Kira pointed up ahead. "Look."

The group had emerged into a small clearing. A barely visible path led to a pitch-black opening in the side of the mountain. "It's another cave," Ash said.

Clefairy didn't hesitate. It bounced into the cave, pausing only once to see if the others were following. Before entering the cave, Kira returned Rattata to his Poke Ball and brought out Charmander. The light from the Pokemon's tail illuminated the cave enough for the kids to see Clefairy ahead of them.

Clefairy led them through the cave until the rocky tunnels opened into a large cavern. The top was open to the sky, allowing the full moon to fill the cave. In the center was a sight that made them all gasp.

On a rocky platform in the middle of the cavern was a large grey stone. It was taller than a man and twice as wide. It glittered like diamonds in the moonlight.

"It's the core of the Moon Stone," Seymour said quietly.

Misty clasped her hands. "This feels like a dream!"

"So the Moon Stone legend is true," Brock said thoughtfully.

Ash pointed. "Look! Clefairy's doing something!"

Clefairy had picked up a small piece of the sparkling rock and bounced up to the Moon Stone. There was a circle of stones around the base and Clefairy placed the new stone in the last open space. As it stepped back, the stones began to glow. Other Clefairy began coming out of other caves, all gathering around the Moon Stone.

"There are so many of them," Misty whispered.

The Clefairy that had led them there stepped toward the kids. "Clefairy, fairy, fairy, clefairy."

Ash chuckled. "I think it's saying hello."

Misty pointed. "Look at them!"

The Clefairy had surrounded the Moon Stone and were moving rhythmically in circles, leaping and bouncing as they went.

Kira was fascinated. "It almost looks like a dance," she whispered. She couldn't wait to tell her grandfather about this.

"Amazing," Seymour said. "These Clefairy have formed their own society. This is an incredible sight!"

Ash noticed that Clefairy and Pikachu were talking again. "Hey, Pikachu! What's Clefairy been telling you, anyway?"

Pikachu started chattering rapidly to Ash, making frantic motions with his front paws the whole time.

The others gathered around. "You understand that?" Seymour asked Ash.

"Of course I do," Ash answered confidently. "He's my Pokemon!" He listened to Pikachu for a moment. "The Clefairy collect all of these stones and...do the Macarena!" he guessed.

Kira shook her head. "Yeah, I don't think that's it."

Brock looked at her. "Why don't you try figuring out what he's saying?"

Kira shrugged. "Okay." She knelt down in front of Pikachu. "Go ahead, Pikachu." She listened for a couple of minutes. "I think he's saying the Clefairy pray to the Moon Stone." She looked at Charmander. "Did I get that right, buddy?"

Both Charmander and Pikachu nodded eagerly. Seymour looked up at the Moon Stone glittering in the moonlight. "Is is because the Moon stone fell from the heavens?" Pikachu nodded.

"Then maybe the legends really _are_ true," Misty said. "Maybe the Moon Stone really did come from space."

"Of course! It all makes sense now!" Seymour exclaimed.

The kids looked at him. "What does?" Ash asked.

"Outer space! Pokemon and the human race will ride the Moon Stone into space! First to the moon! Then to Mars! Then together to the stars!"

"And we're back to the rhyming," Kira muttered.

"Stars? That's our cue!" said a voice behind them.

The group turned around to see Team Rocket standing behind them. "You again?" Kira asked.

"You guys don't know when to quit," Ash said.

Seymour stood in front of them and held out his arms. "You- you keep away from the Moon Stone or else!"

"Or else?" James said scornfully.

"I think we've been threatened," Jessie observed.

"Th-the Moon Stone belongs to the Clefairy, not to you troublemakers!" Seymour said. Kira could see him trembling in fear. "L-leave this cave at once!"

Meowth shook his head. "Hmph. Sounds like a wimp."

Seymour clenched his fists and ran forward. "I'll show you!" he shouted.

"Don't, Seymour!" Ash yelled.

Meowth simply stepped to the side and stuck out his leg, tripping Seymour. "Ha! Did you have a nice _trip_?" he taunted.

Seymour sat up. He was missing his glasses. "My glasses. I can't see a thing."

"That wasn't fair!" Ash exclaimed.

Jessie pulled out her Poke Ball. "All's fair in a Pokemon match, boy!"

James pulled out his own ball. "Enough talk!"

"I agree!" Ash said. "Let's go, Pikachu!"

"Ready, Charmander?" Kira asked. Charmander leapt into battle with a ready cry.

Brock threw a Poke Ball. "Onix, let's go!"

Team Rocket released their Ekans and Koffing. The Clefairy whimpered in fear, then scattered when Onix appeared, towering over Ekans.

Jessie held up a fist. "Let's show them that size doesn't matter! Ekans, underground!"

"Koffing, Smokescreen!" James ordered.

Koffing sent out plumes of smoke, obscuring the kids' view as Ekans burrowed into the cave floor.

The kids started coughing. "Smoke won't stop us," Ash managed to say. "Pidgeotto, I choose you! Whirlwind the smoke!"

Kira threw a Poke Ball. "Pidgey, you, too!"

Between the two birds, it only took a couple of minutes to blow the smoke away. Once the air cleared, Kira's jaw dropped. There was a massive hole where the Moon Stone used to be.

"The Moon Stone is gone!" Brock exclaimed. "How did-?"

"Team Rocket stole it," Misty guessed.

Kira growled and slapped her forehead. "The match was just a trick so they could sneak away with it! They played us!"

Brock pointed at the hole. "All right, Onix, follow them underground!" With a roar, Onix disappeared down the hole.

Kira returned Pidgey and Charmander to their balls and waved to the others. "Come on! There's still a chance we can catch them!" She carefully climbed into the hole. Brock, Misty, and Ash followed, leaving Seymour behind.

It took them several minutes to catch up to Onix. He had intercepted Team Rocket on their way down the mountain and stopped them.

"Got 'em!" Ash said.

"Nice work, Onix! Grab them, now!" Brock ordered as they climbed out of the hole.

Onix moved to Bind them, but James ordered Koffing to use Counter-Attack. Koffing flew into the air and hit Onix between the eyes. The two Pokemon impacted hard and both fell to the ground, stunned.

"Onix!" Brock cried.

Suddenly, the Clefairy began swarming out of the hole. As they surrounded Team Rocket, Seymour climbed into view. "Finally, I found you."

Meowth looked at the Pokemon surrounding them. "Meowth! What's going on?"

As if on cue, the Clefairy all stopped moving and stood still. In unison, they each held up both hands and started waving them back and forth, chanting their name the whole time. "Clefairy, Clefairy, Clefairy..."

"What are they doing?" Jessie asked as they watched.

"Waving their fingers," James answered.

Meowth started moving his head in time with the waving. "This way and that way, this way and that way," he said. Jessie and James started doing the same thing.

The kids began doing it, too. "I'm getting dizzy," Misty said.

Kira couldn't seem to stop her head from moving. It was like she was hypnotized. "I think this is an attack that Clefairy use called Metronome," she said, speaking in time with the movements. "I've never seen it used before."

Suddenly, the Clefairy stopped chanting and lowered their arms. They began to glow brightly. There was a sudden explosion of energy and everyone was blasted backward.

Several minutes passed. Ash was the first one to sit up. "Wow. So that was Metronome, huh?"

Kira sat up and rubbed her head. "I give it two thumbs up."

"Hey, where's Team Rocket?" Brock asked.

"Where's the Moon Stone?" Misty added.

Ash and Kira looked up. Sure enough, both were gone. In their place was a giant crater. "Not again," Kira groaned. "You think they got away with it?"

Seymour shook his head. "I think Team Rocket got blasted out of here by the Clefairy's attack."

"And the Moon Stone?"

Seymour sighed. "Destroyed. It's a shame, but it's probably for the best."

Misty pointed at the sky. "Look!"

Glittering flakes of rocks were raining down, making the air sparkle around them. Most fell to the ground, but some of the flakes landed on the Clefairy, while others blew away on the wind. The Clefairy that touched the flakes began to glow, then changed shape and size.

Kira gasped. "It's the Moon Stone!" she said. "Guys, these flakes are what's left of the Moon Stone! They're making some of the Clefairy evolve!"

"Into what?" Misty asked.

Kira shook her head. "I have no idea." She took out her Pokedex and pointed it at one of the bigger Pokemon.

"Clefable," it said, "the advanced form of Clefairy. These unique creatures are among the rarest Pokemon in the world. Clefable are very wary and rarely show themselves to people. With its acute hearing, many Clefable can hear sounds as quiet as a pin drop from over half a mile away. It is said to be drawn by the full moon to play at deserted lakes."

Seymour was fascinated. "The power of the Moon Stone did this."

"Wow," Ash said.

Brock went to check on Onix while the others looked around. "What are they doing?" Ash asked.

Kira looked at the Clefairy. They were gathering up the flakes that had fallen on the ground. "I think they're gathering up the pieces of the Moon Stone."

Ash had a puzzled look on his face. "Why would they do that?"

Misty swatted him. "Doofus! Don't you remember that the Clefairy worship the Moon Stone?"

Ash gave her a sheepish look. "Oh, right. Guess I forgot." He watched the Pokemon for a moment. "Let's help them."

Misty looked at Kira, who shrugged and said, "Why not?"

They helped the Pokemon gather up as many of the flakes as possible, then followed them back up the mountain. In the cave, other Clefairy had filled in the hole in the floor and rebuilt their altar in the center of the room. The Clefairy piled the flakes in a heap on the altar and resumed their dance around the pile.

The kids and Seymour watched from the entrance to the tunnel. Seymour turned to the kids. "I've decided to live here with the Clefairy," he told them.

"Huh?!" the kids said in unison.

"It's been my life's dream to find the Moon Stone," he explained. "Someday I will travel to the stars with the Clefairy."

"Wow," Misty said.

"Wow is right," Kira agreed. She still thought Seymour was a bit flaky himself.

Brock grinned. "When you do visit outer space, I hope you'll remember to send us a postcard."

Ash held out a hand as Pikachu climbed up to sit on his head. "So long, Seymour."

Seymour shook his hand. "Goodbye, Ash. Goodbye, Pikachu. And thank you, all."

The others said goodbye, then Kira led the way into the tunnel. As they walked away, Ash asked, "Do you think the Clefairy really came to earth from outer space?"

"No, but I still think Seymour did," Kira replied.

The kids laughed at her comment, then Misty said, "It's fun to imagine they did. Who knows where they really come from, though."

Brock pointed at the cave entrance up ahead. "Look, it's almost dawn. We need to stop and get some rest."

"Sound like a plan," Kira said with a yawn.

The group walked to the foot of Mt. Moon, then set up camp. They checked over their Pokemon and ate a quick meal before crawling into their sleeping bags. After their eventful night, it only took minutes for all of them to fall into a deep sleep.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

The kids and their Pokemon slept late the next morning, exhausted from their night's adventure. When they finally got back on the road, all they could talk about was the Clefairy and Mt. Moon.

After walking for a few hours, they came to a fork in the road. A sign pointing to the right-hand path said it was the way to Cerulean City.

"I guess we're headed the right way," Brock said. He leaned closer. "Hey, there's something scribbled here."

Ash shrugged. "Yeah, well, they say some kids like to write silly notes on these signs. What's it say?" He leaned closer to read the small print. "'Gary was here...Ash is a loser'?!"

"Let me see that," Kira said, shoving the boys aside. Sure enough, it was her brother's handwriting. At least she had proof he'd come this far, although she never thought he'd write something like that on a public sign.

Ash was fuming. "Oh, that Gary! I'll show him!" He took off running down the road toward Cerulean City.

"What's the hurry?" Misty called after him.

Brock and Pikachu started walking. "He'll never learn."

Misty walked a few steps, then noticed that Kira was still looking at the sign. "Hey, Kira, you coming?"

Kira tore her gaze away. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm coming." She hurried to catch up to Misty.

After a minute, Misty asked, "You miss your brother?"

Kira sighed as her Pidgey fluttered overhead. She had released him earlier for a turn outside his Poke Ball. "Yeah. This is the first time we've been apart for more than a few days."

"That must be hard."

"It's harder than I thought it would be, but having you and the guys around helps. I really miss my grandpa, too, but I'm doing my best to make him proud." She picked up her pace. "Come on. The guys are getting ahead of us."

Misty groaned, but picked up her pace. "You think there's any way to get them to skip Cerulean City?"

Kira raised an eyebrow. "Probably not, but why...oh, yeah. That's your hometown, isn't it?"

Misty nodded reluctantly. "And I told my sisters I wouldn't come back till I was a great Pokemon Trainer."

Kira patted her shoulder. "You _are_ a great Trainer, Misty. You just have to make them see that."

Misty smiled gratefully, then started running. "Come on! Let's see if we can get Ash to go on to Vermillion City."

Kira shook her head as Misty ran toward Ash and Brock. She didn't completely understand the younger girl's reluctance to go home. If they were stopping by Pallet Town along their way, Kira would be running ahead to get there.

She caught up to the others in time to hear Misty ask why they wanted to go to Cerulean City. She seemed to be on the verge of panicking.

Ash put his hands on his hips. "Well, it's none of your business, but I'm going for more badges."

"Uh...um, Ash, you don't want Pokemon from there. Trust me," Misty said.

"Why not?

Misty hesitated. "Uh, because they're all...very scary Ghost Pokemon that look like this." She made what she thought was a scary face. "Like monsters!"

The other three kids stared at her. Then Ash started laughing. "Nice face, Misty. Come on, Brock. Let's go, Pikachu." They started walking.

Misty ran in front of them and held out her arms to stop them. "Hey, hey, wait a second! What about Vermillion City? It's right on the water and there are lots of neat Pokemon and you can watch all the giant yachts pulling into the harbor." She clasped her hands together. "And there's this little park way up on a hill where you can sit and watch the sunset. That's so romantic! It's much nicer than that old Cerulean City, so let's get going!"

Ash grinned. "Okay, let's go."

"Really?"

"To Cerulean City," Ash finished.

Misty's shoulders slumped as Ash and Brock walked past her. "I never wanted to wind up back here," she muttered as Kira walked up.

Kira patted her shoulder. "It'll be okay, Misty. We'll get in, get the badges, and get out. You don't even have to come with me to the Gym."

Misty sighed miserably as they kept walking. Ash and Brock were out of sight by the time the girls entered the city. Kira's Pokemon were all in good shape, so she decided to head straight for the Cerulean Gym. Misty reluctantly fell into step beside her.

"I already told you, you don't have to come to the Gym with me," Kira told her.

"Yeah, I know, but what else am I going to do?"

Kira stopped and took a scrap of paper and a pen out of her pocket. "Tell you what. Why don't you go shop for supplies for us while I battle?" She quickly wrote down a list of what she needed and handed it to Misty, along with some money. "I'll meet you at the Pokemon Center when I'm done."

Misty nodded. "Good idea. I'll see you later." She quickly ran off down a side street.

Kira looked at Pidgey as he landed on her shoulder. "She _really_ doesn't want to be here."

Several minutes later, she walked into the Cerulean City Pokemon Gym. A sign in the lobby listed times for the Sensational Synchronized Sisters swimming shows. The next one wasn't scheduled to start for over an hour, so Kira followed signs toward the arena. When she walked in, she saw a huge pool with raised seating on either side. Across from her were three high dives, each a different height. Several platforms floated lazily around in the pool.

"Hello?" Kira called. She had no idea where to find Misty's sisters. "Anybody here?"

A door opened behind her, causing Pidgey to squawk. Kira turned quickly and saw three girls in swimsuits walk in. They appeared to be around her age. They stopped and stared at Kira. "Who are you?"

"I'm Kira, and I'm here for a battle. Are you the Gym Leaders?"

One of the girls, a blonde, stepped forward. "That's right. I'm Daisy, and these are my sisters, Violet," she motioned to the blue-haired girl on her right, "and Lily." The pink-haired girl to her left waved. "So you, like, want to battle us?"

Kira nodded. Lily crossed her arms. "Well, you're definitely a pretty little Trainer. Hopefully you won't be as strong as the last couple of Trainers we've battled."

Violet tapped her chin. "You know, she looks a lot like that cute guy that was here a couple of days ago."

Lily nodded. "Yeah, you're right. That was a tough match. What was his name...Larry? Barry?"

"You mean Gary?" Kira asked. "He's my brother."

Violet snapped her fingers. "That was it! Gary! Yeah, he was good. If you're half as good as him, then we don't stand a chance. Alright, Daisy, you're up."

"Why do _I_ have to battle? Why can't Lily?"

Lily held up a hand. "'Cause you're, like, the only one with any Pokemon left. Duh."

"Oh, right." Daisy looked at Kira. "Okay, here's the rules. We'll use two Pokemon each. Last Pokemon standing is the winner. Got it?"

Kira nodded. "Yup. I'm ready whenever you are."

Daisy shrugged. "Alright. Let's get this over with. We have a swim show to get ready for." She showed Kira where to stand, then headed to the other side of the pool. Lily and Violet stood to the side to watch.

Kira looked at the arena and contemplated her strategy. The water ruled out using Charmander and Sandshrew. The small platforms meant Weedle couldn't fight. Flying and agility were probably her best options. She took out a Poke Ball. "I choose Zubat for my first Pokemon."

"Alright," Daisy said, "I choose Seel." She threw her Poke Ball into the water and a Seel leapt out onto one of the platforms,

Zubat fluttered around, getting a feel for his surroundings. Seel clapped his flippers and watched his opponent fly over the pool. Kira called out the first move. "Zubat, Quick Attack!"

Zubat immediately swooped down straight at Seel. Seel dove into the water to dodge the attack, then used Water Gun to try and shoot Zubat down. Zubat heard the attack coming and easily avoided it. He flew down to try to use Quick Attack again, but Seel just ducked his head underwater.

Kira waited until Seel broke the surface again. "Zubat, Supersonic!" she called. If Zubat could confuse Seel, maybe it would slow him down long enough for Zubat to get a hit in. Zubat flew higher up and started screeching. The high-pitched sound made everyone cover their ears and Seel dove underwater again.

 _Rats,_ Kira thought. Her plan hadn't worked. As she waited for Seel to surface again, Zubat flew closer to the water to figure out where his opponent went.

With a splash, Seel came shooting out of the water. Zubat didn't have time to evade and was hit by Seel's Horn Attack. While he was stunned, Seel blasted him with Water Gun. Zubat was knocked out of the air and landed in the water.

"Zubat!" Kira cried. She was about to call him back when Seel dove into the water and came up under him, lifting Zubat out of the water. He swam over to Kira and let Zubat slide off of his back and onto the concrete.

"Thank you," Kira said, picking up her Pokemon. Pidgey cooed sympathetically. Zubat was in no shape to continue fighting, so she returned him to his Poke Ball. She quickly thought about her next choice. Zubat had lost because Seel was able to hide in the water. So the trick was to get him _out_ of the water. She had an idea.

"Pidgey, go!"

Pidgey took off from her shoulder and flew over the pool. Seel floated in the water and watched him fly into position. Kira didn't waste time. "Whirlwind!"

The small bird began flying in circles above Seel. He flew faster and faster, until the updraft started drawing up water as well as air. Within moments, a full water cyclone had formed. Seel was drawn up into the twister as Pidgey continued to circle.

Kira watched closely. When Seel was more than 30 feet in the air, she called out her next move. "Now use Wing Attack!"

Pidgey stopped circling and went into a wide turn. As Seel started plummeting back toward the water, Pidgey struck him repeatedly with his wings.

"Now finish up with Tackle!"

Pidgey flew high and dove down, hitting Seel hard and knocking him back into the water with a huge splash. For a moment, there was no sign of Seel in the choppy water. Then he floated into view, knocked senseless by the attack.

"Aww," Daisy said. She returned Seel to his Poke Ball. "Alright, one down, one to go. Let's finish this up." She threw another Poke Ball. "Let's go, Poliwag!"

The little tadpole Pokemon appeared on one of the floating platforms. Kira knew that Poliwag weren't very fast. This round shouldn't be too difficult, but she couldn't afford to become overconfident. Her next Gym badge depended on this battle.

Daisy went first. "Poliwag, use Hypnosis!" Poliwag's eyes turned red and started emitting red circles aim straight at Pidgey. Pidgey's eyes started drooping as the Hypnosis waves made him sleepy. His flying started to falter.

Kira gasped. "No! Pidgey, shake it off!" Pidgey tried to fight it, but it wasn't working. Daisy ordered her Pokemon to use Water Gun. The attack hit Pidgey squarely in the face.

Daisy had no doubt intended her attack to be the finishing move, but it had the opposite effect. The cold water washed away Pidgey's drowsiness, and restored his clear thinking. Kira breathed a sigh of relief. Now to finish this before that happened again. "Pidgey, dive and use Peck!"

Pidgey swooped down to hit Poliwag with his beak. Poliwag went flying into the water. Daisy ordered her Pokemon to use Bubble Beam. A moment later, Poliwag surfaced and began blowing a powerful stream of bubbles toward Pidgey. The attack was designed to cause the enemy to flinch, dropping their guard in time to be hit with a more powerful attack.

Pidgey didn't fall for it. He easily dodged the bubbles and flew behind Poliwag. Poliwag tried to keep up, but he was too slow. Pidgey caught him by the tail and flung him into the air, then, on Kira's order, tackled him. Poliwag hit one of the platforms and bounced into the water. After a moment, he, too, floated to the surface, knocked out by Pidgey.

Kira realized she was holding her breath and let it out with a yell. "Yeah! Pidgey, you did it!" Pidgey landed on her shoulder again and affectionately nuzzled her ear.

Daisy called back Poliwag. "Bummer," she said, walking around to join her sisters. "You're just as good as your brother was."

Violet held out her hand. "Here you go. One Cascade Badge."

Kira took the badge and grinned as she examined it. It was the same size as her Boulder Badge, except this one was shaped like a raindrop and was light blue. Kira closed her hand around it. Two down, six to go. "Thanks a lot."

Lily shrugged. "Now that that's done, we have to get ready for our next show. It's supposed to start in about half an hour."

"Why don't you stay for the show?" Daisy asked. "You can get a front row seat."

"That sounds great, but I'm supposed to go meet someone," Kira replied. "I'll try to catch one before I leave town, though."

"Whatever," Daisy said. "Catch you later."

Kira said goodbye and left the arena. She was just leaving the Gym when she heard someone call her name. Misty was standing behind a tree across the street.

"How'd it go?" she asked as Kira approached.

Kira grinned and held up her new Badge. "All finished. I hope they're better swimmers than they are Trainers."

Misty shook her head. "Daisy, Lily, and Violet have always been more interested in being beauty queens than Pokemon Trainers."

Kira laughed and looked at the bags at Misty's feet. "Were you able to find everything?"

"Yeah." Misty handed a couple of the bags to Kira. The girls sat down and packed away their supplies, then discussed their next move. Kira was interested in seeing one of the swimming shows, but Misty was understandably reluctant. They finally settled on a compromise: they would attend the show, but they would sit in the very back of the arena, then leave as soon as possible afterward.

The two girls merged with the crowd entering the Gym. They sat in the last row, and although the pool was far away, they had a good view of everything. After a few minutes, the lights dimmed and the show began.

A spotlight focused on Misty's sisters, standing up on the tallest high dive. They waved to the crowd, then all dove into the water. They surfaced at the same time, then performed several impressive feats of synchronized swimming.

Kira thoroughly enjoyed the show. The Sensational Swimming Sisters brought out several Water Pokemon throughout their show, performing various aquabatic stunts with them. For their finale, several of their Pokemon gathered together and used Water Gun to lift the sisters out of the water. High above the crowd, they jumped off in different directions, while the remaining Pokemon shot arcs of water over the pool.

Once the show was over, the audience applauded wildly, then started leaving. Kira stood up and stretched. "I'm headed to the Pokemon Center. You comin'?"

"Not yet. I should at least say hi to my sisters since I'm here. I'll meet you there in a little while."

Kira nodded and followed the crowd out. She walked a few blocks to the Pokemon Center and turned her Pokemon over to yet another Nurse Joy. Misty hadn't arrived yet, so she went over to the phones and called her grandfather.

It only took a moment for Professor Oak to answer. "Kira! How are you, sweetheart? Are you doing alright?"

Kira smiled into the camera. "I'm fine, Grandpa. I'm at the Cerulean City Pokemon Center."

"Did you challenge the Gym Leaders there?"

"Yup," Kira said, holding up her badge case. "I got my Cascade Badge."

Professor Oak grinned broadly. "Well done, dear! Congratulations! Which Gym is next?"

"I don't know yet. Ash still has to get his badge, I think, so we won't make a decision until after that."

"He should have no problem winning a badge with his Pikachu."

Kira nodded. "How are things back home?"

Professor Oak shrugged. "The lab is fine. The house- not so much."

Kira groaned as she imagined the piles of dirty laundry and dishes that were no doubt littering the house. "I'm not going to look forward to my next visit home, am I?"

"Perhaps not. But _I'm_ looking forward to it."

"You just miss having a housekeeper around," Kira teased.

"No," Professor Oak insisted. "I miss you, sweetheart. And your brother. It's hard to believe you've been gone for over a month already."

"Yeah, but I've seen some of the most amazing things. Just wait until I tell you what happened on Mt. Moon..."

Kira proceeded to tell her grandfather about their experience with the Clefairy on Mt. Moon. When she described the Metronome attack to him, Professor Oak stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Most interesting," he said. "You say you couldn't stop moving your head in time to their fingers?"

Kira nodded. "I couldn't even look away. Same with the others."

"Fascinating. It would seem that the Clefairy use the finger-waving to mesmerize their opponents while they build up energy, then release it all at once, resulting in a massive explosion."

"That makes sense," Kira said. "I wish you could have seen it. By the way, have you heard from Gary?"

Professor Oak nodded. "Yes, actually. He called a couple of days ago. He had just beaten the Cerulean Gym, just like you."

So her brother was going for Gym badges, too. Kira wasn't surprised to hear that. Gary always tried to be the best at everything. "Where is he now? Is he doing okay?"

"I'm not sure where he is now, but he insisted that he's fine. And I believe him. He's just as strong as you are, dear."

"I know," Kira said. "I just miss him." She glanced at her watch, then looked around the Pokemon Center. Misty still wasn't there. "Hey, Grandpa? I've got to go. Misty was supposed to meet me here, but she hasn't shown up yet."

Professor Oak nodded. "Of course. Be careful out there, sweetheart. Call me if you need anything."

"I will. Love you, Grandpa."

"I love you, too, dear."

Kira ended the call and stood up. She stepped outside the Pokemon Center and looked up and down the street, but she still didn't see Misty. Considering how well Misty and her sisters got along, she couldn't figure out what was taking the girl so long.

The Center's loudspeaker chimed and Kira heard her name called, announcing that her Pokemon were ready. She collected her Poke Balls, then decided to go back to the Gym in search of Misty. She left the Pokemon Center and nearly ran into Brock.

"Hey, Kira," he said. "What are you doing here?"

"I was getting my Pokemon looked at after my Gym battle. Where have you been?"

"Ash and I were wandering around the city for a while, then he went to challenge the Gym Leader. What about you?"

Kira told him about her battle and seeing the swimming show afterward, then the two teens decided to head back to the Gym to find the younger kids. The sun was setting when they got there. Ash, Misty, Daisy, Lily, and Violet were standing out front.

"Misty, you just go right on trying to be a Pokemon Trainer," Daisy was saying. "You might as well be good at something because you'll never be a star like us."

Misty growled. "You keep that up, and you'll be seeing stars!"

"Chill out, Misty," Violet said, holding up her hands. "It was just a joke."

Daisy put her hand on her little sister's shoulder. "Misty, be careful out there. You know we love you."

"Yeah," Misty said, smiling.

Kira came up and put an arm around Misty. "I'll keep an eye on her."

The sisters looked from Misty to Kira, then back again. "Misty, you're traveling with Kira?" Lily asked. "You should have no problem, then. She's tough."

Misty nodded as Brock joined them. "Yeah, and we should get going soon."

"How'd it go, Ash?" Brock asked.

Ash held up a Cascade Badge. "See for yourself."

"Cool. Let's go!"

Ash pinned the badge inside his jacket and followed him, with Kira and Misty close behind. "You're not leaving without me," Misty said.

"You're not going to be a sore loser, are you?" Ash asked.

"I didn't lose anything! It was a draw!" Misty insisted.

Kira was confused. "Wait, what happened? Did you two battle?"

"Daisy was just going to give Ash a badge since they didn't have any Pokemon left, but there was no way I was going to let that happen."

"I would have won if Team Rocket hadn't shown up and ruined everything," Ash said.

Brock looked at him. "Team Rocket? Again?"

The younger kids nodded. "If they hadn't busted in, I would have destroyed you," Misty said.

"You're lucky they showed up," Ash argued. "You were about to lose."

"Lose? I was just getting started!"

"Oh, yeah?"

"Yeah!"

Kira and Brock shook their heads. "Oh, brother," Brock muttered.

"Here we go again," Kira agreed.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: I just want to say thanks to my readers for putting up with my crap to make it this far. Updating will be a lot more sporadic from here on out.**

Chapter 11

The kids continued their journey, training their Pokemon and learning more about each other. They stayed at Pokemon Centers or hotels when they could, and camped out the rest of the time. As they traveled, they deepened the bonds between themselves and their Pokemon, as well as each other. Ash and Misty continued to argue at every opportunity, and Brock and Kira continually stepped in to break them up.

A few weeks after leaving Cerulean City, the kids were walking through another forest on their way to Vermillion City. Kira couldn't believe that it had been over two months since she left home.

"Do you have any idea where we're going?" Misty asked Ash.

Ash nodded. "Of course! I'm relying on my instincts."

Kira looked around. "So we're lost, aren't we?"

"Don't worry," Ash said. "I'm positive this way'll take us back to the path."

"Positive, huh?" Brock said skeptically.

Misty hung her head. "That's what you said an hour ago. I'm tired. I told you to stick to the main road, but no! You just had to take a shortcut!"

" _I_ took a shortcut?" Ash asked. "It was _you_ who said to go this way!"

Misty tossed her head. "Ha! If I was leading, we wouldn't have gotten lost like this."

Kira shook her head and put Weedle on her shoulder. "Will you two _please_ give it a rest?"

Both of them ignored her. "Who says we're lost?" Ash demanded.

"Listen, genius, if you don't know where you are or where you're going, that means you're lost!"

Brock pushed them apart. "Chill, chill! Enough, guys."

Misty crossed her arms. "All right, but remind me to yell at you some more if we ever get to Vermillion City."

"Whatever," Kira said with a sigh. "Let's keep going, or we're never going to get there."

"We could use a rest," Brock pointed out. "Let's take five, and then keep going."

Kira agreed and the kids moved toward some nearby rocks. "Time for a break," Ash said.

They all sat down. Kira took out her water bottle and a snack for Weedle. She looked up when Ash stood up.

"Oh, wow, a Pokemon!"

Kira looked past him and saw an Oddish drinking at a nearby stream. Ash pulled out his Pokedex and learned that Oddish was a Grass Pokemon that roamed the forest, scattering pollen as it walked. Kira knew that Wild Oddish often hid themselves in the soil during the day to absorb nutrients, then moved around at night. Seeing one during the day was unusual.

"I'll catch it," Ash said, pulling out a Poke Ball.

Misty ran in front of him. "Hold it!"

"What for?"

"Because I'm gonna catch that Pokemon," she answered brightly.

"Aw, no way, Misty! I saw it first!"

"But we found it around the water and water is my specialty."

Kira rolled her eyes as their argument continued. They may be willing to let this opportunity go to waste, but she wasn't. "Weedle, go for it!"

Weedle hopped over and confronted the Oddish as Ash and Misty stopped arguing in surprise. Oddish tried to run away, but Kira ordered Weedle to use String Shot. The sticky strands tangled around Oddish's legs, causing it to crash to the ground.

"Tackle it, Weedle!"

Weedle leapt forward and tackled Oddish. While the Pokemon was stunned, Kira took out a Poke Ball and threw it. Before the ball could hit Oddish, however, something knocked it out of the air. Everyone was startled when another Pokemon came charging out of the brush.

"Whoa! What's that?!" Ash exclaimed.

The Bulbasaur stopped between Oddish and the kids. It stood there growling, protecting Oddish. Kira took a step forward to retrieve her Poke Ball, but the Bulabasaur growled louder.

Ash was really excited. "Wow! I can't believe it! A Bulbasuar!" He held up his Pokedex again.

"Bulbasaur," Dexter said. "It bears the seed slowly develops. Researchers are unsure whether to classify Bulbasaur as a plant or animal. Bulbasaur are exteremely tough and very difficult to capture in the wild."

Suddenly, the Bulbasaur leapt forward and tackled Weedle. The smaller Pokemon went flying, and Kira dove to catch him. "Weedle, are you okay?!"

Ash pulled out a Poke Ball. "Now it's my turn to try. Bulbasaur is mine! Butterfree, I choose you!" He threw the Poke Ball and ordered Butterfree to use Sleep Powder, but Bulbasaur used Gust and blew the powder back at Butterfree. Butterfree fell to the ground. While he was trying to get up, Bulbasaur attacked again, tackling Butterfree. While Ash lamented losing the battle, Oddish and Bulbasaur disappeared into the bushes.

"Oh, the Bulbasaur!" Ash whined. "It's not fair! I want it!"

"Knock it off, Ash," Kira snapped. "I'm disappointed, too, but acting like a two-year old isn't going to help."

Ash continued to sulk, so Kira picked up Weedle and walked away. After a moment, the other kids followed. After a few minutes of tense silence, Kira hung back to walk beside Ash.

"Hey, I'm sorry for yelling earlier," she said.

Ash nodded. "It's okay. I shouldn't have acted like that." His face brightened up as they approached a bridge. "I'll bet there are Bulbasaur all over this place."

Misty followed them onto the bridge. "But where _is_ this place?"

"I can't find this bridge on my map," Brock said, studying the map.

A sudden gust of wind rocked the bridge hard. Everyone yelled and grabbed for the handhold as the ropes snapped on one side, sending them sideways. Kira grabbed the rope tightly with one hand and barely managed to catch Weedle with the other. Misty was hanging from Ash's foot.

Brock lost his grip on the bridge and fell into the river below. Kira looked down, but she didn't see him surface. The kids watched the water in stunned silence, but there was no sign of Brock.

Misty was the first to collect herself. "Ash, you have to pull us back up! It's our only chance!"

"She's right," Kira agreed. She managed to put Weedle on her shoulder and used both hands to pull herself up. As soon as her feet were on the bottom ropes, she reached down to pull Misty up. "Hurry. We need to get off this thing before it breaks completely."

Several minutes later, the three kids collapsed on the opposite side of the bridge. They stopped to catch their breath. "I'm totally wiped out," Ash said, breathing hard.

Misty looked up. "We can't rest now. We've got to find Brock."

"Right."

Kira stood up and returned Weedle to his ball. "Let's follow the river. He may have climbed out further downstream."

She led the way down to the bank, where they hurried along in the direction of the water. About half a mile downstream, Kira heard a shout and turned around to see that Misty was done. A giant hole was in the middle of the path.

She and Ash hurried over to see Misty at the bottom of the hole. "Whoa. How'd you get down there?" Ash asked.

"I fell in! How else?" Misty yelled. "What's a trap doing here?"

Kira rummaged in her pack for rope. "Seems like a pretty strange place to put one. I mean, there isn't really anything around here." She and Ash held the rope while Misty climbed out. After making sure Misty was okay, they kept going, calling out Brock's name.

"This just isn't our day," Ash said after more than an hour of searching.

"Think he washed this far downstream?" Misty asked.

"It's possible," Kira replied.

A moment later, Kira tripped over something. Before she could call out, a net shot up and wrapped tightly around the three of them. Within seconds, they were hanging from a tree.

"Hey, what's going on?" Ash cried.

Kira struggled against the net. "It's another trap! Try wiggling. Maybe we can get the net to open."

They all struggled for several minutes, but nothing happened. The net was still tightly closed, and there wasn't enough room for them to move around. Kira couldn't reach the knife in her backpack.

"Bulbasaur!"

The kids looked down to see the same Bulbasaur they had encountered earlier. Ash started struggling harder as Bulbasuar walked away. "Hey, Bulbasaur! Wait a minute! I want a match!"

"Ash, stop moving!"

"Ow, you kicked me!"

Ash settled down once Bulbasaur was out of sight. "I wonder what happened to Brock," he said after a minute.

Misty sighed. "I wonder, too."

"He'll be alright," Kira assured them.

Ash looked downstream. "Maybe the river carried him far away, all the way to the ocean. Then some pirates spotted him and brought him aboard their ship. And one of the pirates has a wooden leg."

Kira raised an eyebrow. "You have a crazy imagination."

"Pikachu," Pikachu agreed.

"Ahoy there!"

The kids jumped and looked down again. Brock was standing at the base of the tree. "Why are you hanging around up in that tree?"

"Oh, you know, just hanging out," Kira replied. "Now can you help us get down?"

"Sure." Brock pulled out a knife and found the rope holding the net in the tree. He cut through the rope and a second later, the net crashed to the ground.

Misty rubbed her backside. "Thanks, but maybe next time, you could let us down a little more gently."

Brock sheepishly ran a hand through his hair. "Yeah, sure. Sorry." He held out a hand to Kira.

"Thanks," she said, getting to her feet. "We've been looking all over for you."

"Yeah, we saw you fall into the river, but what happened after that?" Ash asked.

Brock looked at the river. "Well, I was being washed away in the rapids. All of a sudden, someone grabbed my hand and pulled me out." He got a dreamy look on his face. "The girl who saved my life was incredibly beautiful."

"A beautiful girl, huh?" Kira said with a grin. "That's better than pirates."

"Unless, of course, she was really a pirate in disguise," Ash said.

Misty rolled her eyes. "Maybe it's time for a reality check."

Brock and Kira helped the younger kids to their feet, then Brock led them down a barely visible path. Twenty minutes later, they emerged in a clearing. A log cabin sat against the trees beside a small lake. Several Pokemon were gathered near the water's edge. An attractive young woman kneeling beside the Pokemon stood up to greet them.

Brock make the introductions. "Melanie, this is Ash, Misty, and Kira."

"Hello," Ash said.

"Hi, there," Kira said.

Melanie nodded to them. "So you're Brock's friends. He told me all about you."

Misty looked at the Pokemon gathered behind Melanie. "Do all of these Pokemon belong to you?"

"Oh, no," Melanie said, shaking her head.

Brock knelt next to a Paras and petted it. "Melanie said this is a place where Pokemon are able to rest and relax."

"Like summer camp?" Ash asked.

"Well, sort of, but all year long."

Melanie nodded. "You see, when Pokemon get abandoned or injured, they can come here. I take care of them until they feel better, then they leave."

"So this is a Pokemon Center and Melanie is a Pokemon doctor," Misty guessed.

"Oh, no. I'm not qualified to be a Pokemon doctor."

"So it's more like a Pokemon health spa," Kira said.

Melanie nodded again. "Here, the Pokemon don't battle with one another. They relax and try to enjoy themselves until they've recovered."

"Cool," Misty said.

Brock came over to stand with his friends. "Melanie collects plants to use for medicine. She knows all about which plants can help a Pokemon feel better or grow stronger when it's too weak."

Ash looked at the older boy. "So you and Melanie both love to take care of Pokemon."

Misty noticed Brock's dreamy look and said, "Well, it looks to me like there's something else Brock might love."

Brock turned bright red and clapped a hand over Misty's mouth. "Be quiet! She might hear you!"

Kira rolled her eyes and ignored them. "So were you the one who put the net up in that tree and dug that big hole?"

"Yes, that was me," Melanie said. "I'm sorry. I wanted to catch Pokemon Trainers before they reached the village." She gave them a sheepish smile. "Since you got caught, I guess they really work."

"But why?" Misty asked.

Melanie motioned to the Pokemon gathered around. "There are so many injured Pokemon here. I have to protect them."

Brock looked at his friends. "I promised Melanie we wouldn't capture any Pokemon here."

Misty gave him a mischievous smile. "And did you seal the promise with a kiss?" Brock bopped her on the head. "Ow!"

"Well, I guess I'll have to keep your promise," Ash said, crossing his arms.

"Hey, good Trainers don't take advantage of sick and injured Pokemon," Kira reminded him.

Misty rubbed her head. "That's right. Only bad guys try to capture sick Pokemon."

"I also told Melanie we wouldn't mind helping her out for a while," Brock said. "I hope that's okay with you guys."

"Sure," the other three agreed.

Melanie gave them some chores to help out with. While she was working, Kira saw the Oddish that she had tried to catch. After speaking with Melanie, she went over and knelt in front of Oddish. "Hey, I'm sorry about what happened in the forest. I shouldn't have surprised you like that. You must have been scared."

Oddish nodded. "Oddish."

"Melanie told me your old Trainer got rid of you. Did he really think you were too weak?"

"Od, oddish," Oddish said, nodding sadly.

"Well, I don't agree with him. I think you can be really strong. You just need to find a Trainer who understands you." Kira reached out and gently stroked one of Oddish's leaves. "Anyway, I'm sorry for what I did and I hope we can become friends."

Oddish nodded eagerly. "Oddish, oddish."

"You're sweet, Oddish. I would be happy to have a Pokemon like you." Before she could say anything else, something hit her hard in the back. Kira went rolling in the dirt. She shook her head to clear it, then looked behind her. Bulbasaur was standing protectively in front of Oddish again.

"Kira, are you alright?" Misty knelt next to her. "Hey, it's rude to tackle people!"

"She's right," Ash said. Bulbasaur didn't seem to care. "I know. You're just mad because I was going to beat you. But you chickened out and ran off. Let's see how tough you really are." He moved to take out a Poke Ball.

Melanie hurried to stand between them. "Please wait! Please!"

"Huh?"

"Bulbasaur is only trying to protect Oddish. He volunteered to guard our whole village. He protects all the injured Pokemon whenever enemies try to attack them. Bulbasaur is the bravest and most loyal Pokemon I know. I'm so sorry he attacked you," she said, looking at Kira.

"It's no problem," Kira replied. She rubbed her back, which was probably bruised. "Bulbasaur must have thought I was trying to take Oddish from the village."

Bulbasaur started pushing against Ash's legs. "Now what?" Ash asked.

"Bulbasuar doesn't like Pokemon Trainers," Melanie explained. "He wants you to leave the village now."

"But we're not here to capture Pokemon," Misty insisted. "We want to help you."

Melanie knelt next to Bulbasaur. "It's true, Bulbasaur. These are our friends."

Suddenly, a shadow covered the entire area. Everyone looked up and saw Team Rocket standing on top of a giant balloon.

"Here we go again," Ash said.

"Today only at Jessie Stadium, it's the Team Rocket Pokemon Challenge," Jessie shouted.

"Now we just need your Pokemon," James said.

A door on the side of the balloon basket opened and a large hose extended. It started sucking in air like a giant vacuum. The Pokemon were struggling not to get sucked in, too.

Ash grabbed a Staryu that was about to get pulled in. "They never run out of ideas, do they?"

Brock got the cabin door open. "Hurry! Everybody get in the cabin!"

Kira scooped up Oddish, but the wind caused her to trip, and Oddish slipped out of her hands. "Wait, no! Oddish!" she cried as the Pokemon flew toward the hose.

Suddenly, vines wrapped around Oddish, keeping her from getting sucked in. Bulbasuar had grabbed the Pokemon and was pulling her back in. He turned toward the cabin, but struggled against the wind.

Ash shoved the Staryu into Misty's hands. "Take Staryu!" He ran to Bulbasuar and began pushing from behind, helping him toward the cabin. Once they were inside, Misty slammed the door shut.

Kira picked up Oddish. "Thank goodness, you're safe. I'm so sorry for dropping you."

Oddish patted her shoulder with a leaf, telling her it wasn't her fault.

"We've got trouble," Brock said from the window. "They've focused the hose on the cabin. I don't know how long this building will hold up."

Bulbasuar used his vines to open a skylight in the roof and pulled itself through. Everyone watched from the window as he used Vine Whip on the hose, knocking it away from the cabin. As soon as he did, Ash ran outside and sent out Pidgeotto, ordering him to use Gust. Pidgeotto's attack combined with the winds from the vacuum, creating a mini cyclone. The cyclone hit Team Rocket, sucking them up and destroying their machine. It carried them out of sight once more.

The winds died down. Once it was safe, everyone came back outside. "Is everyone okay?" Melanie asked.

Kira put Oddish down. "We're okay."

"I just had the wind knocked out of me," Ash joked. He looked down at Bulbasaur. "This village is well-protected with Bulbasaur here."

Melanie looked at him. "Ash, don't you agree that Bulbasuar would be an excellent addition to your team?"

Ash grinned. "Oh, yeah, would he ever!"

"I think Bulbasaur should go with you."

"Huh?"

Melanie picked up Bulbasaur. "Bulbasaur has stayed here to protect the weaker Pokemon. But this village is too small. The bulb on his back can't grow. He needs to go out into the world now. And I know you'll take good care of him." She looked at Ash. "Please do me this favor. Take Bulbasaur with you on your journey. He'll be a good companion."

Kira knelt next to Oddish. "But what will happen to the village without Bulbasaur?"

"Yeah, who's going to protect you?" Brock asked.

"It's true that Bulbasuar has done a great job," Melanie said sadly, "maybe too great a job."

Misty didn't understand. "What do you mean?"

"You see, these Pokemon shouldn't remain in this village forever. After they recover, the Pokemon are supposed to leave. But it's too sage here, so none of them want to go away. They don't want to return to the outside world. But I think that it's important for then to return to the wild. That's where Pokemon belong. And hopefully, someday, they'll find good Trainers like you." Melanie looked at Ash again. "So you see, it's time for Bulbasaur to leave here. Please take him with you. He won't be a burden, I promise."

Melanie looked fondly at the Pokemon in her arms. "Bulbasuar still has a lot of growing to do. I want him to be in a place where I'm sure he can grow strong and happy. I'm sure that place is with you, Ash."

"Well, if you really want me to," Ash said. He sounded like he couldn't believe his luck.

"Bulbasaur," Bulbasaur said. Melanie chuckled.

"What did he say?" Ash asked.

"Bulbasuar will join you on one condition," Melanie replied. "He wants to battle you."

Ash was thrilled. "Ha! If you want a match, you'll get it!"

Ash and Bulbasaur faced off in the open area between the cabin and the lake. Ash sent out Pikachu. Bulbasuar had the upper hand at first, using Tackle and Vine Whip on Pikachu. He wrapped his vines around Pikachu and slammed him to the ground several times, but then Ash ordered Pikachu to use Thunderbolt. The electricity traveled up the vines and shocked Bulbasuar, stunning him.

Ash threw a Poke Ball. The ball pulled Bulbasuar in and dropped to the ground, wiggling. After a moment, the button glowed.

Ash pumped his fist and ran to get his Poke Ball. "We did it! We got Bulbasuar!" Pikachu jumped onto his shoulder and held a paw in the air, celebrating with him.

A little later, they were ready to continue their journey. Ash brought out Bulbasuar so he could say goodbye. Melanie picked him up. "I'll miss you, Bulbasuar. Thank you for watching over us. Have a safe trip."

"I promise to take good care of him," Ash said.

Kira knelt in front of Oddish. "Bye, Oddish. I'll miss you." She stroked Oddish's leaves one more time, then stood up. She started to turn away, but Oddish used one of her vines to grab Kira's wrist.

Melanie noticed. "I think Oddish wants to go with you, too, Kira. She's fully healed and deserves a good Trainer."

Kira knelt down again. "Is that what you want, Oddish? Do you want to travel with me?" She held out a Poke Ball. "It's up to you."

Oddish nodded enthusiastically. "Od, Oddish!" She reached out and touched the button with one of her leaves. The red light pulled her in and the ball wiggled or a second in Kira's hand before flashing red.

Kira grinned and stood up. "Thanks, Melanie," she said. She looked down at her Poke Ball. "And thank you, Oddish."

"Come on, let's go," Ash said.

They waved to Melanie and the remaining Pokemon as they said their final goodbyes and walked away. As soon as they were out of sight of the cabin, Misty couldn't resist teasing Brock. "So, did you kiss Melanie goodbye?"

Brock turned red and slapped a hand over her mouth. "That's enough stupid questions! Okay, she's cute, but would you please stop embarrassing me?"

Ash looked back at them. "Did I miss something? What's going on?"

Kira shook her head and kept walking. "Don't worry about it."


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

The next day, the kids kept pushing on toward Vermillion City. They walked all morning, then Ash said he knew a shortcut. They left the main room and followed him into the woods. Hours later, they still hadn't found the road again.

Ash was looking for new Pokemon to catch. "There's nothing but Spearow around here."

They had stopped to rest in a clearing. "And that's a bad thing?" Kira asked.

Misty was sitting on a stump. "Isn't that the least of our worries?"

"Just because we're a little lost doesn't mean I have to stop catching all the Pokemon I can, does it?" Ash replied.

"Chu," Pikachu said.

Misty tossed her head. "Of course not. Enjoy yourself." She sighed. "I just can't go one step further. We've been looking for Vermillion City for ten whole days."

"We'll get there, Misty. Don't worry," Kira encouraged. "Besides, if we hadn't stopped yesterday, Ash and I wouldn't have gotten new Pokemon." She patted Oddish.

Brock leaned over them. "Uh, there's a bug right on your-"

Misty screamed and scrambled to her feet before he could finish the sentence. "Get it away!"

"It was just a piece of grass," Brock said, holding up a long stem. He started laughing, until Misty kicked him in the shin.

"I'm going crazy!" She screamed. "Where are we?"

Kira pulled out her map. "Well, if my calculations are correct, we're right in the middle of nowhere." Before Misty could scream again, she went on. "But it looks like Route 24 leads right to Vermillion City."

"Does this trail take us to Route 24?" Misty asked hopefully.

"I think so."

"All right! Then let's get this show on the road!"

Misty started walking down the path. The others grabbed their gear and hurried to follow. Kira wasn't paying attention to where she was walking and ran into Misty when she stopped suddenly. "What's going on? Why'd you stop?"

"Hey, Ash, take a look at this," Misty said.

Ahead of them, a Charmander was sitting on top of a pillar of rock. It looked weak. Kira wasn't a Pokemon doctor, but it looked like the Pokemon was sick.

Ash stared at it with wide eyes. "Wow. When I went to get my first Pokemon from Professor Oak, I was disappointed because I couldn't get a Charmander."

"That's because you were more than an hour late," Kira reminded him.

"Now I can catch my own," Ash said, ignoring her.

Misty took a step closer. "I don't know. It looks like it's in bad shape."

"All the more reason for him to catch it," Brock said. "Then we can take it to a Pokemon Center for help."

Ash turned his hat around. "All right. Poke Ball, go!" He threw a Poke Ball at the Charmander.

Everyone was surprised when the Pokemon used it's tail to whack the Poke Ball out of the air. It landed at Ash's feet.

"It's got good aim," Kira said.

Ash looked at Brock. "It looks pretty healthy to me. You think I should have Pikachu battle it to weaken it and make it easier to catch?"

"Why don't you let me catch it?" Misty asked. "My Water Pokemon would be stronger against Charmander."

Kira held up a hand. "Hold on a minute, guys. Take a look at the flame on its tail."

The kids stopped talking. "What about it?" Ash asked.

Kira pointed at the flame. "The flame on a Charmander's tail is a sign of how healthy it is. If the flame ever goes out, it'll die. That flame is tiny, which means that Charmander is very sick. There's no way it could have the strength to battle."

"Ash, try your Poke Ball one more time," Brock urged.

Ash threw the Poke Ball again. This time, Charmander made no move to avoid it. The ball hit is and pulled it inside, but barely wobbled for a second before Charmander appeared again. It knocked the ball back to Ash.

"It sure has a lot of spunk," Brock said.

"A little too much, if you ask me," Ash added.

Misty crossed her arms. "I think this Charmander has a attitude problem."

"Hey, give it a break. It's sick," Kira protested.

Pikachu stepped forward and climbed up the rock. The two Pokemon spoke for a moment, then Pikachu jumped down and ran back to Ash.

"What's the story, Pikachu?" he asked.

"Pik, Pikachu. Pika. Pikachu, Pikachu. PIka, pika, pika. Pikachu. Chu, Chu!" The Pokemon said.

Ash nodded. "Okay, I think I've got it. Pikachu says that Charmander's waiting on that rock for somebody to come and get it." Pikachu nodded, showing that Ash was right.

"You mean it belongs to somebody?" Misty asked.

Brock shook his head. "If it's waiting for someone, I think we'd better leave it. It's probably best if its own Trainer takes care of it."

"I hope its Trainer comes back soon," Ash said.

Kira clenched her hands. "Whoever it is should get in trouble for letting their Pokemon get in this condition." She knelt and took a handful of Pokemon food out of her backpack. She reached up and placed the food near Charmander. "Here you go, buddy. I wish I could do more. Come on, Oddish." They hurried after the others, leaving Charmander whimpering on the rock.

Half an hour later, the kids climbed to the top of a hill. Misty pointed. "Hey, guys, look over there. It's the Pokemon Center."

Kira looked at the sky. Black clouds were rolling in and thunder could be heard in the distance. "Not a moment too soon. This storm is coming in fast."

"Route 24 can't be too far," Ash said.

Rain started falling as they walked down the hill. By the time they reached the front door, the rain was falling in heavy sheets, driven by strong winds. The Pokemon Center was set up in a lodge style, with a large fire pit in the center of the room. Several other Pokemon Trainers were seated around the room, waiting out the storm. Ash and Brock found an empty table near the windows, while Kira and Misty looked for something to eat.

"Here's some nice hot soup," Misty said, setting a steaming bowl in front of Ash. Kira set one in front of Brock and put a plate of bread in the middle.

"Thanks, Misty," Ash said, picking up his spoon.

Brock was staring out the window. Kira sat down beside him. "What's wrong?"

Brock didn't turn away from the window. "I wonder if anybody picked up that Charmander yet..."

Kira looked out at the storm. "I can't imagine leaving a Pokemon out in this weather."

"What if its Trainer left it there?"

Misty and Pikachu looked worried, but Ash shook his head. "I don't think Charmander would wait around this long, do you?"

"I don't think so," Kira said.

Brock managed a small smile. "I don't either, Ash. It's Trainer must have gotten it by now."

Kira got up to get them some drinks. As she walked past the fire pit, she overhead a group of Trainers mention Charmander. She paused to listen.

"...I thought you had a Charmander, too," one man was saying.

The leader of the group shrugged. "Yeah, I had one, but that puny thing was so weak, it couldn't even beat the weakest opponents."

Kira clenched her fists. Her own Charmander was far from weak, proving that this man wasn't caring for his Pokemon properly.

"So what did you do with the Charmander, Damien?" one lackey asked.

Damien grinned. "Eh, I left it on some rock in the woods. That thing is so stupid. No matter what I do to it, it keeps on following me. I finally got rid of it by promising I'd come back for it. It fell for it. It's probably still there waiting for me." The group started laughing.

Kira was so angry, her vision turned red. She stormed over and grabbed Damien by the collar of his shirt, yanking him to his feet. "Go and get it," she growled.

"Huh?"

She was practically snarling. "That Charmander is still waiting for you. Go. Get. It. Now."

Damien pushed her hands off. "Why should I?"

"You lied to your Pokemon and said you'd be back. Now it's waiting out there in the storm for you. If it's tail flame goes out, it'll die. Could you handle having that on your conscience?"

"Oy, what I do is none of your business," Damien said, crossing his arms.

Kira felt Misty and Ash grab her shoulders to hold her back. "Do what she says!" Brock said.

"What'd you say, nerd?"

"You heard what I said. And you want to be a Pokemon Trainer," Brock said scornfully.

"You're disgusting," Misty added.

Damien picked up a Poke Ball from the pile on the table. "You want to fight with me?"

Kira took out her own Poke Ball. "Bring it on. I'll show you how strong a Charmander can be."

The two groups glared at each other until Nurse Joy stepped in. "Let's break it up. You know the rules," she said. "Pokemon are never to be used in personal fights. It's disrespectful to the Pokemon and their Trainers."

"Hmph. They were the ones who started it," Damien muttered.

"Oh, you want to go there?" Kira shouted. She stepped forward, only to be grabbed by Ash and Misty again.

"Kira, calm down," Misty said. "He's not worth it."

Nurse Joy approached them as Damien's group walked away. "I think you're better off not getting mixed up with them. They have a very bad reputation."

"Uh, thanks for the advice," Brock stammered. Nurse Joy giggled and walked away. "She sure is pretty," he muttered. "I've never seen anyone as pretty as her."

Misty rolled her eyes. "What are you talking about? She looks just like all the other Joys."

"Yeah, it's a joyful world," Ash joked. He shook Brock's shoulder. "All right, snap out of it."

"Huh?"

"Oh, quit spacing out," Misty said. "What about Charmander?"

Brock shook his head. "That's right! We've got to help it."

Kira pulled her jacket out of her pack. "Let's go. Nurse Joy, is it alright if we leave our stuff here?"

Nurse Joy nodded. "Of course. Everyone, be careful out there."

The kids threw on their jackets and ran out into the storm. Lightning flashed, striking a tree in the distance. "This is dangerous," Misty said as she slipped in some mud, "going out in a storm like this to help a Pokemon. What if we all catch pneumonia?"

"Well, nobody asked you to follow along," Ash said, running ahead.

It wasn't long before they were approaching the rock again. When they got close enough, they could see a flock of Spearow flying around the rock, diving at Charmander. Ash threw a rock, attracting their attention.

The Spearow left Charmander alone and started attacking them. Ash covered his head. "Thundershock, Pikachu!"

"No, Ash! Not in the rain!" Kira cried.

Pikachu's cheeks crackled and he attacked. The arcs of electricity not only hit the Spearow, but also leapt back and hit the kids. They collapsed on the ground in agony.

The attack drove away the Spearow. Ash painfully got to his feet. "Next time, make sure you don't shock us, too, Pikachu."

Kira rolled onto her side. "I told you."

Misty found a Poke Ball lying next to her. "Hey, who's is this?"

"Not mine," Kira said, checking her belt.

"It think it's mine," Ash said. He took the ball and put in his pocket.

"Hey, guys! Hurry!" Brock called from the rock.

Ash hurried over. "Oh, no! The flame is almost out!"

Brock took off his jacket and covered the sick Pokemon. "Let's get it to the Pokemon Center."

"I'll make sure the tail flame stays lit!" Ash said, removing his jacket, too.

The wind howled and the rain fell harder as they ran back to the Center. Brock carried Charmander, while Ash held his jacket over its tail. The flame was barely lit.

""Hold on, Charmander!" Brock said. "You can make it!"

Nurse Joy was waiting for them. "There's not much time. Hurry, this way." She led them to the nearest treatment room.

The kids watched as she quickly hooked Charmander up to the monitors and began examining it.

"Will it survive?" Brock asked.

"Charmander is very weak," Nurse Joy answered, "but I think it'll be alright. It's going to be close, though."

Kira shook her head. "I can't believe that Damien would abandon a Pokemon like that. Charmander is loyal to him. Of course it would believe that he would come back."

Nurse Joy frowned and continued treating Charmander. "Damien and his gang just left a little while ago."

"Joy, I'm begging you. Please save it," Brock said. "Charmander has got to get better."

Nurse Joy nodded. "I'll do whatever I can."

Kira ushered the kids back to main room so Joy could work. There was nothing else they could do for Charmander at the moment. Brock planted himself in a chair by the door to the back, the worry plain on his face. The others brought out their Pokemon to care for. Kira spent some extra time with her Charmander, assuring him that she would never abandon him like Damien.

Ash was cleaning out the pockets of his jacket. He pulled out the Poke Ball he'd dropped. "Feels like something's in here," he said.

"Duh. It's one of your Pokemon," Misty said, rolling her eyes.

"But my Pokemon are all here," he protested, pointing at the four Pokemon at his feet.

Kira shrugged. "Maybe you picked up someone else's by mistake."

"No, it's my Poke Ball. One's missing from my belt."

"Maybe you should open it and see what's inside," Misty suggested.

Ash shrugged and pushed the button. A bird Pokemon with red and brown feathers and a sharp beak appeared in front of them. The Pokemon had a very angry look in its eye. As soon as it saw them, it squawked and attacked.

"Ah, it's a Spearow!" Ash shouted. He fumbled with the Poke Ball as Kira and Misty ducked. Charmander jumped in front of of Kira and hit the Spearow with a fireball. The charred Pokemon fell to the ground and Ash retuned it to its ball. "Where did _that_ come from?"

Kira plucked a singed feather from her hair. "I'm guessing it fell onto the Poke Ball when Pikachu used Thundershock."

Ash stared at the Poke Ball. "I haven't had much luck with Spearow. What do you think I should do with it?"

"Well, you could keep it and train it, although it may be pretty challenging."

Misty crossed her arms. "You could always release it."

"If you're going to do that, I'll take it," Kira offered. "I can handle a Pokemon with a bad attitude."

Ash considered his options for a moment, then handed the Poke Ball to Kira. "Good luck."

Kira took the Poke Ball and brought it over to her backpack. She dug out an empty Poke Ball and tossed it to Ash to replace the one he gave her. She needed to see if Spearow was hurt and give it some food, so she put most of her Pokemon away, leaving only Oddish.

She pressed the button and released Spearow. He immediately started squawking and flapping his wings. He started to fly, but Kira ordered Oddish to use Bind. Oddish used her vines to grab Spearow, wrapping around him and holding him down. Kira placed a bowl of food in front of him, and the angry Pokemon calmed enough to start eating. He continued to eye Kira with distrust.

Kira hesitantly reached out to check Spearow for injuries. As soon as she was within reach, Spearow's head snapped up and he bit her hand faster than she could react.

"Ouch!" Kira yanked her hand back. After trying a few more times with the same result, she paused. This was going nowhere. Spearow was unusually fast, which, combined with his bad temper, made examining him nearly impossible to examine.

"What are you going to do?" Misty asked.

Kira rubbed her chin with her good hand and thought for a moment. "Hmm...Oddish, use Sleep Powder." Oddish shook her leaves, releasing a fine powder over Spearow. Spearow's eyes drooped and he started to relax. A moment later, the Pokemon was snoring softly.

Misty risked stepping closer. "Huh. I didn't know Pokemon could snore."

Kira didn't answer. She was busy giving Spearow a quick exam. Other than a few minor burns from Charmander's fireball, he was fine. She quickly applied some Super Potion, then returned him to his ball before he woke up. "Whew. I forgot just how quick-tempered Spearow can be."

"You've got your work cut out for you," Misty agreed.

"That's for sure. First thing to do is get him to trust me. Then we can work on battling." Kira replied, wrapping up her bleeding hand.

Just then, the door to the back opened and Nurse Joy appeared in the doorway. For a moment, she looked downcast, then she looked up at the kids and grinned. "Charmander's recovering. It should be fine by morning." She let them peek into the back, where they could see Charmander resting comfortably on an examination table.

Kira smiled, relieved that Charmander was doing well. "Come on, guys. Let's get some sleep." The others allowed her to lead them back to the main room. Nurse Joy provided them with blankets and pillows and told them to make themselves comfortable.

They settled down on the long, circular couch next to the fire pit. Misty and Kira took one end, while Ash and Brock took the other. Despite the storm raging outside, it didn't take them long to fall asleep.


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N - I'm having formatting issues again. I think I fixed it, but if not, PM me and I'll take another look.**

The next morning, the storm had passed and the sun was shining cheerfully. Kira sat up and stretched. Misty and Ash were still asleep. Brock's spot was empty.

She reached to pull some fresh clothes out of her backpack. Suddenly, Brock burst into the room. "Wake up, everybody!"

Ash screamed and rolled off the couch. Kira dropped her backpack and Misty sat up in alarm.

"What's up, Brock?" Ash asked.

"Yeah, what's the matter?"

"Pikachu?!"

Brock was visibly upset. "It's Chamander! Charmander has disappeared from the ER!"

The kids hurried from the room where Charmander had been. The bed was empty, and Nurse Joy stood by the open window. Kira shook her head. "I bet it went back to that rock to wait for Damien."

"We've got to go back," Brock insisted.

Misty crossed her arms. "It won't be any use. We can't force Charmander to come with us if it wants to wait for Damien."

"Even if he is a lying creep," Kira muttered.

"Misty's right," Nurse Joy said. "There's nothing you can do until Charmander realizes the truth."

The group was silent for several minutes, then Misty waved toward the door. "Come on. We may as well get going."

An hour later, they'd eaten breakfast and packed and were following the trail toward Vermillion City. Brock was walking in the rear. He sighed. "I thought Charmander understood that we cared about it."

Ash dropped back to walk beside him. "Brock, Charmander knew that we cared, but don't you see? It couldn't just forget about Damien. It's still loyal to him."

"Despite how much he doesn't deserve it," Kira added.

Misty patted his shoulder. "Come on. Route 24 is just ahead. Once we get to Vermillion City, there will be plenty of Pokemon.

They started walking again. Brock sighed again and followed them. They walked in silence for a while. Pikachu and Sandshrew walked ahead of them. Kira tripped over a root and landed on her hands and knees.

Suddenly, the ground beneath them gave way. The four kids plunged into a deep hole. Pikachu and Sandshrew looked down at the tangled heap of bodies at the bottom of the pit.

Kira sat up and pushed Ash off her legs. "Is it just me, or do we fall into a lot of holes?"

"I can't believe they fell for it!"

The kids looked up. They couldn't see anything, but that voice was familiar. Meowth and Team Rocket were up there with their Pokemon. There was a flash of lightning and a burst of laughter from Jessie and James.

"Come on! We've got to get up there!" Ash cried. He started scrambling up the sides of the pit, only to slide back down. The sides of the pit began to crumble.

Kira grabbed his arm. "Ash, stop! If the sides collapse, we'll be buried!"

"But Pikachu—"

"I _know!_ Sandshrew's up there, too! But we have to be careful getting out of here."

There was a laugh above them. Team Rocket was standing at the edge of the pit. James held a rubber sack containing Pikachu, while Jessie held Sandshrew by his tail. "Hello down there," Jessie called. "Thank you so much for dropping in."

James held up the sack. "Don't worry. Pikachu and Sandshrew are safe with us. We won't lose them like you did."

Meowth waved to the humans. "Let's get outta here."

Team Rocket turned away. Ash started shouting again. As the four kids struggled to get out of the pit, Kira thought she heard voices coming from above. Suddenly, a wall of fire blocked the opening. The kids heard Team Rocket screaming, then all was silent.

A moment later, Charmander peeked over the edge. Pikachu and Sandshrew appeared on either side. "You're alright!" Kira cried, relieved.

"Charmander must have driven off Team Rocket," Misty said.

Brock shifted beside Kira. "Why don't you use Bulbasuar and Oddish to help get us out?"

Ash and Kira nodded. "Good idea." They both took out a Poke Ball and tossed them over the edge of the pit. A moment later, Oddish and Bulbasaur joined the others at the rim.

"Oddish, can you use Vine Whip to help us out of here?" Kira asked.

"You too, Bulbasaur," Ash added.

The two Pokemon nodded and extended their vines over the edge. Soon, everyone was standing back on the road. Kira put away Oddish and scooped up Sandshrew and hugged him tightly. "I'm so glad you're okay."

Brock knelt in front of Charmander. "Wow. Thanks for the help, Charmander."

Misty patted Charmander's head. "You see, Brock? Charmander knew we cared. That's why it's here."

"Charmander, how'd you like to join up with us?" Ash asked. "I'm afraid your Trainer isn't going to be coming back."

"Hi, Charmander. Been looking all over for you."

The kids jumped at the voice from behind them. Damien was standing there, hands behind his back and a smirk on his face.

"What do you want, Damien?" Kira said scornfully.

"I came back for Charmander just like I promised." He looked at Charmander. "So let's go."

Charmander glanced between Damien and the kids. Its shoulders drooped. "Careful," Brock warned. "This Trainer's already abandoned you once before."

Damien crossed his arms. "Charmander is mine. I'm the one who caught it, remember?"

Ash took a step forward. "Damien, you bragged about how you abandoned it."

"Good thing I did," Damien said with a smirk. "That toughened it up."

Kira clenched her fists. "You were willing to let your Charmander die in that storm last night."

"What's wrong with dumping off a weak Pokemon?" Charmander stared at its Trainer in shock. "I wasn't going to come back for it," Damien continued, "but now that I've seen what it can do, I'm real glad I ran into you guys. The best thing is, I didn't have to raise it myself!"

"That's terrible!" Misty cried.

Brock nodded in agreement. "Raising a Pokemon is the best part of being a Trainer."

"You wish! It's the most boring part of the job."

"Don't you care at all about the bond between Trainer and Pokemon?" Kira asked. She couldn't believe this guy called himself a Trainer.

Misty knelt beside Charmander. "You see? He doesn't care about you. He just wants to use you to win matches."

Charmander hung its head.

"Charmander, return!" Damien pointed a Poke Ball at Charmander.

 _SMACK!_

Everyone stared in stunned surprise as the Poke Ball bounced on the ground. Charmander had Tail Whipped the ball out of its Trainer's hand. Damien stared at his empty hand.

"That does it!" he cried. "I'll crush you with every Pokemon I've got!" He took out several Poke Balls.

But Charmander was done putting up with him. It used Flamethrower on Damien and didn't hold back. The other Pokemon came up beside it. Pikachu used Thunderbolt, while Sandshrew use Mud-Slap. The attacks left Damien a charred and muddy mess. He ran off, thoroughly beaten.

"Way to go, Charmander!" Brock said.

Ash nodded. "Yeah, good work."

Kira picked up up Sandshrew. "You were great too, buddy."

Charmander turned to look at them. The look in its eyes said it was ready for a new Trainer. Brock put a hand on Ash's shoulder. "Go ahead, Ash," he said. "You get Charmander. It'll be a great Pokemon."

"But, Brock, you saved it," Ash protested. "So you deserve it."

"Fair point," Misty said.

Brock nodded. "Right, but don't forget, you're the one who kept the flame on its tail lit."

"Also a fair point," Kira added.

"I'm sure you'll raise Charmander to become a great Pokemon," Brock continued.

Ash nodded. "Thank you, Brock." He took out a Poke Ball. "Come on, Charmander. Welcome to the group!"

"Char! Char!" Charmander cried happily and leapt toward the Poke Ball. When he was safely inside, Misty smiled.

"You got a new Pokemon and a new friend," she said.

Kira patted Ash's shoulder. "Maybe getting lost isn't so bad after all, when you're with your friends."

"Of course, finding your way with your friends is even better," Misty added. "Let's go!"

The group happily got back on their way, excitedly talking about their new addition. After a few minutes, Misty brought up a good point. "How will you and Ash tell your Pokemon apart?" she asked.

Kira glanced at Ash. "My Charmander knows my voice, but it might make it less confusing for everyone else to give him a nickname."

"Like what?"

Kira shrugged. "I dunno. Zippo, maybe?"

Misty made a face. "Eh..." She patted Kira's shoulder. "We'll keep working on it."


End file.
